MDS Birthday Pi Day 5K

Birthday number 35 is coming up quickly and when I read this post that Julie Payne-Kirchneier shared on her Facebook page, it really got my wheels spinning…

 

At the start of the new year, I have noticed many of my friends posting resolutions, or maybe just goals, to get moving. Some want to run races, some want to start running, some just want to be active. After reading the post Julie shared, I thought it would be fun to “celebrate” my birthday with my friends and family, regardless of where they are, and support their goals along the way, including my own to RUN a full 5K for my birthday!

 

So, here’s the logistics:

1. Agree to run/walk/move on March 14 by signing up on this GoggleDoc spreadsheet (for those who need to training, you still have plenty of time!)
2. When you move, move for 3.14 miles… the same as Pi!
3. Participate wherever you are, near or far… or join us in Cincinnati for the weekend! (Disclaimer: because 3/14/14 is on a Friday, I’m committing to run on Saturday, 3/15 – the option is up to you if you want to participate on the 14th or 15th)
   1. Pre-exisitng 5Ks you have/will be signing up for will count!
4. For each person participating, I will be donating $1 to the Girls on the Run as part of my birthday present to me.
5. Because most races include a t-shirt and bib as part of the entry, I’ve created an image that you’re welcome to print and make a t-shirt/bib (or both) for your personal race! Find it on the GoogleDocs document here.
6. Celebrate with a piece of pie! Doesn’t matter if you like pumpkin, apple, or key lime… treat yourself! Afterall, what is a birthday celebration without a slice of… PIE!
7. Take a picture and post it! It can be of you in your shirt/bib, while you’re running/walking/moving, eating your celebratory pie. We want to share in your victory!
8. Spread the word! The more the merrier!

 

I haven’t stopped thinking about this idea since I read the post, so to say I’m excited about it might just be an understatement. I have always loved birthdays, and even though I can’t celebrate, in person, with everyone I love, this is a great way to celebrate near and far! Please join me in this fun, new adventure!

#OneWord2014 – Faith

Tweet: “My #oneword2014 is faith… in my God, my relationships, my professional self, my runner self, and in my undiscovered abilities!”

 

To say this past calendar year has been a rough one may be an understatement. So to see 2014 come along feels like a breath of fresh air (well, until I step out into the single-digits temps and get my breath taken away…). As I was reading folks post and blog about their #OneWord2014 over the past week, my word just came to me. Faith. 

 

Just before last Christmas, my husband and I made the decision to job search. In January I submitted my resignation letter, effective at the end of the fiscal year yet with no job lined up. Some may say it was a leap of faith. I went through the search process and found a job that would bring us back to the MidWest and closer to family, something we had both agreed we wanted.

 

Yet, come the end of June, I was unemployed. So, moving in with my in-laws, both my husband and I began the job search again. I was depressed. It was a very tough situation, but I was surrounded, both physically and emotionally, with family and friends who cared about me and prayed for me.

 

The search was challenging. I would get on-campus interviews, then they would go with another candidate. Coupled with some experiences I had had the past two years, I began to doubt my own professional abilities. “No” and it’s variations, became a word I dreaded. Friends, references, family… They all told me the right thing would come along. And they were right!

 

But during the “down time,” I challenged myself to try new things. My husband began using the Couch to 5K running program, and then began talking about signing up for races. Being a competitive person, I couldn’t just be left in the dust, so I began training, too. Participated in two races. I can’t say I ran both races, though I did run in them, just not the full race as I had hoped. In the new year, I am determined to run a full race. I don’t enjoy running (yet), but I want to accomplish this goal so badly, so I’m putting my faith in the running program and my own abilities to do so!

 

I also taught myself to crochet. Okay, so i watched YouTube videos and haven’t actually made something from a pattern yet, but I will. I did make lots of things over the past couple months and am proud of myself for making almost all of my Christmas gifts this year!

 

My mom and one of my closest friends both kept telling me that God will put me where he needs me. I got frustrated with that at times, though I’m not sure if I was frustrated at them for continuing to say it or God for not acting quickly enough for my liking. I’ve been raised Catholic, even married in the Catholic Church, but I don’t regularly practice. While unemployed, I began going to church more. Some times by myself, sometimes with family. I was so touched when one day after Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law asked if she could join me at church the next day. And honestly, that’s when things began to come together. 

 

As someone who is a very “planned” person, I have trouble with putting my faith in the unknown, yet, I know that is something I need to do more of. So, when “faith” popped into my head about the “OneWord2014” I knew it was something I needed to move forward with. And so, I have “planned” some ways to keep my word ever-present in my mind and in what I do daily. I have FAITH this will be a good year and I look forward to strengthening and rekindling some relationships, trying new things, and deepening my own spiritual faith! I hope you are “planning” for a great 2014, too!