I moved to the Midwest. Yes, it's true! In January, I packed up my NYC apartment, traded my Subway Metrocard for a Subaru Forester, and moved 1,200 miles to the suburbs of Minneapolis. I started a new job, moved into a new apartment, and started learning my way around a new city. And you know what has been the most daunting for me through all of this newness? Not knowing where to run! I mean, I've learned about certain popular run routes, mostly paths around local lakes, but I haven't been able to get comfortable with running solo through suburban streets or on trails meandering around a lake. I'm used to running on urban sidewalks or in parks that are always populated with other runners and where aid services, if needed, are within steps. That's not necessarily the case in my new neighborhood... not if I want to get out for the distance that I usually cover on my evening and weekend runs.
I'm signed up for the Office Max Hood to Coast, a 197-mile relay in Portland, Oregon in August, along with RUSers Kristine and Mark, as well as the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October. I could use all the support and motivation I can get while I train in my new city for these races, and others that I'll add into the calendar in the coming months. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you probably already know about my involvement with Girls on the Run. I've also added a new charity to our charity section on the upper right box of this blog - the American Cancer Society. The ACS is a charity partner of the Hood to Coast and I'm raising money for it in honor of my Aunt Susie, who was a tireless advocate and fundraiser for ACS until she sadly lost her battle with cancer. Though partnering with the Hood to Coast ACS DetermiNation fundraising program is just the start to many years to come in supporting ACS, I hope my efforts help even a fraction as much as Aunt Susie's did. So if you haven't yet, and would like to, please give your support to one or both of my favorite nonprofit organizations as a charitable way to cheer me on!
And, if you know any runners in the Minneapolis area, please let me know!
