Back in Action

I've been busy. But I haven't forgotten my goal. While I may have taken 2011 off in a sense - I didn't add any new states - I did help raise awareness of DMD by sharing Owen's story and helping others, including the women I train for Shamrock races, to raise money for Charley's Fund. So far in 2012 they've already raised over $800 for this great cause.

But because I wasn't training for any major races or adding any new states to my list, I didn't send out a fundraising request myself, but this year I'm back in action.

I will be adding North Carolina in April at the Flying Pirate Half Marathon. I've been spending summer weekends in the Outer Banks since childhood, so I'm excited to finally run a race there.

And I have also decided to include additional types of endurance races to my 50 States roster. Instead of just full or half marathons, I will also seek out triathlons, Ragnar-style relay races, extreme obstacle courses like Tough Mudder, and maybe even a paddleboard race in another state.

This summer I plan to train for my first triathlon and a local 10-mile paddleboard race, and I hope to do a Ragnar in Washington State for my 35th birthday this summer. I'll keep you all posted on my progress here, and I'll also begin asking again for you all to donate in honor of Owen and to show your support for my 50 State efforts.

Help me make 2012 a year of hope for Owen and other boys with DMD!

Please donate here:

http://www.active.com/donate/runforowen

Long Time Coming

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OK, OK, I know it’s been quite a while since I updated this blog, but I have NOT forgotten about the cause or my goal of running races in all 50 states. In fact, since my last post, I have had a hand in the raising of over $1000 for Charley’s Fund, and I’m in the process of choosing the new states I’ll run in this year.

First, of course, there was the New York City Marathon.

On November 7, in what may prove to be my most memorable racing experience ever, I ran 26.2 miles through the five boroughs of NYC with over 40,000 runners from all over the world. From the emotionally charged journey to the start (4:00AM wake-up followed by a walk and a train ride and a boat ride and a bus ride to a massive starting area with thousands of nervous and eager and freezing cold runners milling about and watching the elite athletes and first waves cross the Verrazano Bridge above us), to the too-fast-for-my-own-good first 15 miles (it was hard to slow down when the ENTIRE city, neighborhood after neighborhood, was cheering us on!), to the excitement of seeing my best friend and my baby boy on the sidelines at mile 16, to the soul-crushing struggle through miles 18-21 (and the lost minutes in a medical tent getting the nourishment and hydration I was missing), to the last five miles that I ran stronger than I would have thought possible just a few miles before, to the second glimpse of BFF and baby boy in the shade of the Plaza Hotel as I turned toward the home stretch, to the tears of joy and relief I shed as I crossed the finish line in Central Park… it was a race I will NEVER forget.

If you’ve ever run a road race, you know how great it is to have people cheering you on as you pass. Now imagine the best, most boisterous crowd you’ve ever run past and multiply that by, oh, half a million, and you might get a teeny tiny taste of what running through New York City on race day is like.

Second, there was Run Like a Mother, the Shamrock edition.

When I logged on to Facebook after the marathon, I was surprised to see how many people (friends, family, friends of friends, their families, etc.) were rooting for me and tracking my progress on the NYRR website. When I returned home a few days later, I kept hearing that my run had inspired others to consider tackling half or even full marathons themselves. Since I had been so successful at helping my friends get ready for the ASYMCA Mud Run in August – while also raising money for Charley’s Fund – I decided to do it again for the Shamrock Sportsfest races in March.

Two dozen women trained with me for twelve or more weeks, some for the 8K and others for the half and full marathons. I donated a portion of my training fee for each person to Charley’s Fund, and some also took it upon themselves to raise money for the cause. Together, the women who asked their friends and families for donations raised over $1000, and with the donations I made in the name of our running group, we raised nearly $1200 for Charley’s Fund!

Third, I am sorry to say, there was the postponement of the We Believe 5K for Charley’s Fund.

While I still hope to organize a small 5K race to raise money for Charley’s Fund, it is unfortunately not going to happen this spring. We had a date, a race committee, a sponsor, and a timing company, but in the end we realized we didn’t have the resources to get the nonprofit status paperwork completed and filed in time to accept donations and get the race off the ground. It will happen eventually, I am certain, but things are still in the early planning stages now. I will keep you posted, but in the meantime, rest assured that I have some other fundraising ideas in the works.

Finally, I am looking forward to adding at least two more states before the end of the year.

The Outer Banks (OBX) Half Marathon in North Carolina in November is the only one I am certain of, but I am looking at two or three others and trying to determine which ones make the most sense. Money is tight, as it is for many of us right now, so if you have any suggestions that can help me add a state on a budget (a place to crash? a sponsor who might help pay my race entry? a way to get air miles or other travel expenses donated?), I am all ears. In the end, even if I only hit one or two new states a year for the next few years, I BELIEVE I can still hit my goal, just like I BELIEVE we can find a cure for DMD within Owen's lifetime. If I have to run a half marathon every month in 2027, I’ll do it.

The cause is worth it, and I’m not going to give up on it any time soon! I hope you won't either. If you haven't donated to Charley's Fund, please consider it. No amount is too small, and thousands of families are counting on the work that they do.

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It's Time

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I’m sitting at my friend Louise’s computer looking out at clouds passing slowly above New York City buildings, and I’m filled with butterflies. In 24 hours, I will be boarding the Staten Island Ferry, and three hours later, the gun will go off for my wave of the New York City Marathon to start. Four and a half hours later (fingers crossed!), after running through all five boroughs of the city, I will enter Central Park for the last stretch before crossing the finish line.

This is a big race for me, and not just because – with over 40,000 participants – it’s one of the largest sporting events in the world. It’s big for me because, even though it will be my third marathon, it is the first one I am really expecting to run. I finished the 2005 Shamrock Marathon in just over 6 hours. I started too fast and walked the whole second half. I finished the 2008 Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona in just under 6. That time, I started slower but still walked most of the last third. Tomorrow, I will be shooting for 4:45, but I will be thrilled with anything close the 5 hour mark, and I am hoping to run the whole time.


I’m not as well trained as I would have liked to be. Two jobs, two kids, and the hottest summer on record in Virginia Beach made it sometimes difficult to get out and get a run in. But I am feeling better about my abilities this year than I was the last two times I attempted 26.2, and this time I have another reason to run – Owen and little boys like him with Duchenne.

Since I started running for Owen and raising money for Charley’s Fund this year, you all have helped me raise over $600 for DMD research, and I have each and every one of you in mind during my training. Your donations really do make a difference in the lives of boys like Owen, and they make a HUGE difference in my mindset when I’m running. When I feel like stopping or slowing down, I think about how many people have my back, and it helps me keep moving forward.

If you haven’t donated yet, please consider doing so today. This is my last big out of state run this year, and I can use all the help I can get!

Crazy Awesome

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There’s nothing normal about running for over three hours. Absolutely nothing normal at all. Only crazy people do things like this.

That’s what went through my head for most of the last hour of my 17-mile training run Sunday morning. If it hadn’t been for three things, I don’t know that I could have done it:

1) Friends. A friend of mine joined me for 10 miles, and the conversation really helped me to keep going. But once she finished her run and headed home, I headed back out for another hour on the trail, and when I felt like I couldn’t run another step, I thought about the great friends and family I have who have supported me so far in my fundraising for Charley’s Fund. Even when I was on my own on the trail, I knew I had friends who had my back. You all helped me keep going.

2) Owen. I started this whole 50 states thing because I wanted to raise money to find a cure for DMD, and I recently read that Darius Weems, an inspiring young man with the same disease as Owen, would be celebrating his 21st birthday on Monday. When I started to feel my muscles ache around mile 13, I tried to replace thoughts of stopping with thoughts of celebrating that big birthday with Owen in 16 years. The money you donate to Charley’s Fund makes it more and more likely that Owen make it to that milestone.

3) New York City. I’ve long been a fan of that city, and one of my best friends in the world lives there and will be running the NYC Marathon with me in a few short weeks. That race is, after all, the reason I was out there running 17 miles in the first place, so when I didn’t think I could go any farther, I thought about running through the streets of all five boroughs with the whole city cheering me on. I’m so excited to run one of the biggest marathons in the world, and running it for Charley’s Fund will make the experience even better.

So while it may seem like a crazy thing that I’m doing – running 13.1 or 26.2 mile races in all 50 states – in 38 days, I’ll be standing on the Verrazano Bridge with 40,000 other people who are just as crazy as me. And I think that will be pretty awesome.

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Dream Big

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What a crazy, busy, amazing month it has been! Since my last update, I have seen one project completed and begun another, plus I’ve hit double-digits in my long training runs for the NYC Marathon.

First, there was the Mud Run. 19 wonderful women started their training for the race back in June, and on August 7, we donned our red Run Like a Mother shirts and hit the sand for the 10th Annual ASYMCA Mud Run. Anyone who has run that race would agree that SAND Run would be a more apt name. For most of the 4.97 miles, we trudged through deep, soft sand and rolling dunes, but some of the course had us traversing packed, wooded trails; wading through waist-deep creeks and knee-deep trenches; and wallowing in thick, chunky mud. It may not sound like an ideal way to spend a Saturday morning for some, but for us it was the perfect way to end our 8 weeks of training.

After a quick dip in the bay, we gathered on the sand with our post-race beverages in hand and celebrated our collective accomplishment. It was a TOUGH race, but we all finished strong, and most of us crazy mommas are looking forward to doing it again next year. And the best part is that these lovely ladies helped me raise $135 for Charley’s Fund, and Team Run Like a Mother should be starting our second official training season very soon!

My next major fundraising project is a stroller-friendly 5K to benefit Charley’s Fund, which will take place in April or May of 2011 in Virginia Beach. Stay tuned here for more information as the plans come together. I’ve taken the first few steps toward getting the race going this past week, and our race committee is being formed and will have our first meeting in the next few weeks. Race directing is a HUGE job, as I’ve learned through researching what goes into a successful road race, but I am confident that I can put together a great group of people who can help me make the race a success. I can’t wait to see how much money we can raise for this worthy cause.

Finally, I hit a milestone in my NYC Marathon training yesterday. For the first time since April of 2009 (just weeks before becoming pregnant with Roan), I ran a double-digit long run! Yesterday morning I hit the trails with a couple of my Run Like a Mother teammates and ran 11 miles. I’m on track for NYC, which is just 84 days away, and I am actually kind of looking forward to next week’s 12-miler.

After my meeting this week with the local race directors who will be doing our 5K timing services, I felt both excited and overwhelmed by the task in front of me. I admit I questioned whether I could really handle all it would take to put on an event like this. But as I drove home from my 11-mile training run yesterday, I pulled up behind a car with DRM BIG on its license plate. It was one of those signs I couldn’t possibly ignore. If you dream big, you can achieve great things.

As the Charley’s Fund motto states: I believe. I can run 26.2. I can organize a 5K. I can raise $50,000 for Charley’s Fund in the next 17 years. And Charley’s Fund can help find a cure for DMD in Owen and Charley’s lifetimes. I dream big, and I believe the seemingly impossible is possible. I hope you do too.

(Photos by Raymond Gwin and Kyle Bloom)

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Still in the Race

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I'm still here, people! It's been a busy month, but I've been working hard, training hard, and even raising some money for Charley's Fund since last I posted.

First, I want to say thanks to the folks at Charley's Fund who sent me an awesome pair of yoga pants and a cute tank top to train in. They were so excited when the funds started coming in and so impressed with my fundraising and training goal that they wanted to send me a thank you gift. Thank YOU, everyone who donated!

Second, I started training a great group of ladies for the ASYMCA Mud Run 8K (August 7) and am donating $5 for each one who joined me. I had two dozen sign up (plus a few Stroller Strides instructors who also have donated), and team Run Like a Mother has raised $135 for Charley's Fund! We've got cute shirts with the Charley's Fund logo on the back as well. And we're four weeks out from our race now - so exciting!

Third, my official training for the NYC Marathon has begun, and I have run two races since my last post. The CHKD Run/Walk for the Kids was inspiring. I pushed both my boys in the stroller for all 5 miles, and I got to start the race with Team Hoyt, runners who push disabled kids in running strollers and wheelchairs while raising funds for their cause.

And this morning I ran the Metro Dash at Mount Trashmore, which was about 2.6 miles long but included over a dozen challenges (stairs, hill sprints, lunges, push-ups, tire flipping, bear crawling, and an 8-foot wall hurdle, among other crazy exercises). It was tough, for sure, but it was a lot of fun too. Next week I will begin adding miles to my weekend long runs again as I work my way up to 26.2.

I've got other fundraising events in the works over the next few months, but of course I would love it if you would make a donation to Charley's Fund to support my efforts. I'm running 50 races in 50 states - maybe you could donate 50 bucks to help find a cure for DMD?

A Very Good Day

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Yesterday was a good day. I started my National Running Day by joining other local running enthusiasts at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront to run along the boardwalk. Most of us will do anything for a t-shirt, and there were quite a few diehards out there with me at 6:30 AM to claim one of the 50 J&A Racing had to offer. I had planned to go alone and leave both the boys at home with their dad, but Roan decided he wanted to join me, I guess, because he woke up at 5:45 instead of his usual 6:30. I laced up my shoes and put him in the car, and we headed east.

On the way down to the beach, I was reminded how much I love the early morning hours. Most of the world is still sleeping (including the guy in the truck I parked next to at 1st Street), and it’s invigorating to be out of the house and communing with nature just an hour or so after the sun has risen. The wide, empty beaches, the slowly rolling, pink-tinged waves, and the cloud-filled sky made my 3 miles seem downright meditative. Roan, thumb in mouth, was out before I’d even covered a block.



When we finished our run, we gathered next to the newest addition to the Virginia Beach resort area, Grommet Island Park. The “park for everyBODY” was built so all children could enjoy it, even (and perhaps most specifically) those in wheelchairs. Complete with ramps and boardwalks and low-level activity stations and free-for-the-borrowing beach wheelchairs, the playground will be a destination for boys like Owen who have DMD, and I could not help but think about the Liddics as I pushed Roan around the playground in the stroller. I looked at my watch and realized that Owen’s mom was probably en route to the hospital, so I took a picture and sent her a message to let her know she was in my thoughts.

I finished my run at about 7:05 yesterday morning, and 12 hours later Owen’s little sister Lucy was born. We can’t wait to meet her and to congratulate Owen for becoming a big brother in person!