Looking forward to representing RCTC in August!
Race Recap
The Ride for Hope… Stop Saying “Just”
The Ride for Hope celebrated it’s 9th year this weekend and it was my second year being involved. The Ride for Hope, a Tallahassee cycling event, was created by two brothers in honor of their father and cancer survivor, Lou Farrah. Lou’s vision was to promote healthy lifestyles through activities and awareness. As a result, the Ride for Hope, is “‘not just a ride’, but also a family friendly event that includes the cycling courses, a health fair and expo, a family fun area, music, food, and so much more” (Ride for Hope).
During the Vendor Expo and Family Health Fair there was one thing that people said over and over when I asked them how far they were riding… just 11, just 29, just 40, just the metric century, just the century. We would never say “it’s just cancer” or I am “just riding for my loved one who is fighting cancer.” Each and every person that showed up raised money for cancer, cycled through many miles under the hot Tallahassee sun. Whether it was 11 miles or 100, I want to say thank you! Thank you for getting up early on Saturday morning and helping fight the fight. Thank you for riding for those who can’t.
Take a moment to “like” the Ride for Hope Facebook page and see more pics from this year’s event and to stay updated on next year’s event — The Ride for Hope
Freedom Springs Sprint Triathlon Race Recap: 7.4.2013
Triathlon is a Team Sport
I signed up for the Freedom Springs Sprint Triathlon when a friend in a local moms running club signed up and announced it would be her very first triathlon. By no means am I a seasoned triathlete or a veteran of the sport, but I was elated to know that another person was being introduced to the sport. I also knew how much I dreaded the swim and thought she might have some concerns about the swim.
She had about 5 weeks of swim practice to prep her for the triathlon. She also told me at this time that she almost drowned when she 5 years old and was hoping to conquer part of that fear by doing this triathlon. During this time I asked around about the swim. I learned that the swim was an out-and-back swim in chilly, spring fed waters. The worst part of the swim would be grabbing and kicking through plant vegetation (long grass). An open water swim is challenging enough, but to swim through all that nonsense did not sound pleasant.
Race Day
The forecast for race day: 80% chance of thunderstorms by 9:00 a.m., 100% chance for the rest of the day. It did not help that is had rained everyday for the last 10 days. I had a late start out the door and the rain slowed me down. As I drove to no-man’s land Marianna, Fl, I had the privilege of crossing into Central Standard Time and gained a much-needed hour for the 7:00 a.m. race start.Once I arrived, I checked in, got my body marked, set up my transition, and started chatting with friends as they arrived. I kept a lookout for my friend and she arrived 20 minutes before the start and was in a mad dash to get situated. At this point, the rain had still held off.
Run Around the Lakes 5k Recap 6.22.2013
The night before the Inaugural Run Around the Lakes 5k, I realized I was nervous and a bit anxious. For the past two years, all my 5ks had been run while pushing two little girls, unless the 5k was at then end of a swim and bike. The Run Around the Lakes would be the first time I ran without a stroller and it would be the first time my 4-year-old raced in her first 1 mile Fun Run.
We got off to a pretty easy start on race day. In true skirt day = run day fashion, my munchkins picked out pink tutus and running shoes for race day. The race location was 25 minutes away; with an 8:00 1 Mile Fun Run start and 9:00 5k start we had plenty of time to get there and situate ourselves. Tallahassee mornings in June are warm and humid, and today was no different.
Jen Bendewish │Running Down a Dream 