Boston Tragedy

Hi all.  I needed a day to digest the immense tragedy that occurred yesterday at the Boston Marathon.  I am deeply saddened and equally disgusted by what took place.  I am a runner.  My sport is a peaceful one.  When we "compete" we are racing against ourselves, it is an internal race.  We run for many different reasons, be it fitness, spirituality, weight loss and sometimes just for the love of it.  This does not mean that we are a weak community of people.  We are STRONG!  We can run distances most people don't dream of running and still smile when we're done!  I am touched by the number of runners that have come together in unity over Boston.  There is a movement happening on social media to wear a race shirt today (here) whether it be to work or if you go for a run.  I unfortunately was not able to wear one to work but I am wearing blue in honor of those that lost their lives or were injured. 

This is all I am going to say about this.  As many times that we see disgusting tragedy we also catch a glimpse at the humanity that is still out there, alive and well inside many.  This is not a time to lose hope in the world but pick ourselves up and stand up tall and strong again.

#runnersunite

Blue Kisses,

Krissy

Brief Hiatus!

So sorry that I have been gone for so long.  I took a brief hiatus from running.  I'm not sure why I did....I just wasn't feeling it.  But my first run after time off was wonderful!  It made me realize how much I missed it.  In the last two days I have signed up for 5 runs and they are all virtual.  I will give details about them below.

The first race I signed up for is put on by Moms Run This Town.  They are a national running club and I belong to the Kitsap chapter.  This race is their Summer Virtual (the Winter Runnerland was the Winter Virtual they put on) and is called Running Mad.  I registered for the paid version ($11 for early registration!) with which comes a die cast medal that is Alice in Wonderland themed.  It is SUPER cute!  There are three distances that a runner can register for 10/6 (or 5k), 6 2/10 (or 10k) and the final distance is 12 11/10 (or half marathon).  Here is a picture:

Adorable isn't it!  I am looking forward to it.  This race is to be run anytime in the month of July and results are reported on the Moms Run This Town website.  It is important to know that you do not need to be a member of Moms Run This Town (but if you want to be, it's FREE to join and so much fun) to register and run in this virtual race and you don't have to be a mom either!  For more information on this run go to www.momsrunthistown.com and click on the Summer Virtual link.

The second, third and fourth race I signed up for is put on by Nerd Herd Running and it *gasp* lives up to it's nerdy name!  This is a series of virtuals, with the option of running one race, two or all three.  Each race has a medal that corresponds with it and are shaped like a piece of pie.  If you register for all three races you receive a bonus 4th medal to complete the circle.  The cost for all 3 races is $65 or $25 per race individually.

The first race in this series is called May the 4th (Be With You).  This is a 5K race to be run anytime between April 28 and May 4.  It is (obviously) Star Wars themed.

The second in this series is called Happy Birthday Harry Potter.  This is a 10K race to be run anytime between July 28 and August 3.  However, Harry Potter's actual birthday is July 31 so why not run it that day?

The third and final run in this series is called Banned Books Week.  This is a Half Marathon race to be run anytime during September 22 and September 28.  This race celebrates the right to read!  Did you know that several classics have been banned in schools, book stores and libraries?  Classics like Of Mice and Men, The Lord of the Flies, The Color Purple, The Grapes of Wrath and To Kill a Mockingbird.  These are several of my all time favorite books and have often been the target of censorship.

For more information on these races or to register please visit www.thenerdherd.info

There is also a pretty awesome YouTube video that shows the medals that come with each race you register here.

The fifth race that I registered for is also the first in a series of 6 but they can't be registered for in bulk.  Only the 1st in the series is open for registration.  Staying true to my geekdom this race is an homage to the TV show LOST.  I am a huge fan!  I found this race through a Facebook group I am a part of called Virtual Runs.  Each race in this series will be titled after a Dharma station on the LOST island.  The first is called Station 1- Hydra 4K (this is 2.5 miles).  There is no specified date that this needs to take place but the organizer recommends completing within a month of registering.  The organizer also indicated that race #2 in the series would open shortly after registration for #1 closes (however, there is no date listed).  The cost of each race will be $20 each.  I wish there was a discount for those of us that plan to sign up for all but Joe (the organizer) did state there would be a special gift for those that do.

Break down of the races in this series are:

Station 1-Hydra 4K

Station 2- Arrow 8K

Station 3- Swan 15K

Station 4- Flame 16K

Station 5- Pearl 23K

Station 6- Orchid 42K

It is indicated on the website that if you are not able to run a full marathon (or any of the longer distances) at one time, it CAN be broken down in to smaller runs and then combined. 

Here is the medal for Station 1.   

For more info about this race please visit http://joerainon6.wix.com/lostinrunning

So it looks like I will have a few different virtual runs this summer to go along with my organized races!

Anyone interested in running with me or if you need help getting started with running send me a message.  Hit me up on Facebook or Twitter.  You can find the links to follow me at the top of my blog.

Red Kisses,

Krissy