Run, Run, and Run Some More!







Me and the giant Hershey bar at the finish!

So, with a marathon just over the horizon I have spent most of the summer training including running four half marathons in the month of September alone.  For October I really wanted to wrap up my more intensive training on a fun note so signed up for the Hershey Half Marathon.  Run in Hershey, PA with a mile of the course winding through the theme park it was supposed to just be a low-key training run, complete with the "chocolate aid station" at mile 10.  I happened to meet my running buddy near the start right before the race and though he could barely complete 5 miles when we started running together in the spring, he (being male and of normal height and leg length) had long since surpassed my speed at this distance.  We decided to cap off the season by running this one together and my nice easy training run turned into a true race.  

My Reese's Peanut Butter
Cup Finisher's Medal

I finished in 2:05:04.7 which unfortunately rounds up and EXACTLY ties my personal best made earlier this season of 2 hours, 5 minutes and 5 seconds which was really disappointing considering how hard I ran the entire time and how uncomfortable this was.  Sitting here over 24 hours later with stiff, aching quads I am glad I pushed myself because I am now more confident than ever that I will be able to complete this marathon and make my sponsors proud!

My Motivation: Thy Name is Bhagyashri



Bhagyashri

 This is Bhagyashri and she is my motivation to run when I am tired.  My reason to lace up my shoes when I get out of work late and I have a million things to do still at home. She lives in IN860 and this is my first letter from her

"Hello I am Bhagyashri.  Mother's name: Sumah, Father's name: Sharavan, Brother: Sujal, Sister: Nayana.  Her favorite color is pink, favorite food is rice and dhal, best friend is Kavita and she lives in a mud house. 
  The meaning of Bhagyashri is good fortune.  Mother and father are illiterate does not know how to read and write.  Father iron the clothes of the people of this community.  Mother goes to forest to collect wood to prepare food for children.  To get clean drinking water is a great problem; water comes only two hours in the morning every day.  Father sometime takes drink and fight in the house.  Bhagyashri likes English subject.  Parents are not in a position to send child to good school and purchase school supplies.  Bhagyashri says I love Victoria pleas write a letter to Bhagyashri".

For this child who says she loves me without even knowing me and who has to deal with countless struggles I will train and I will run a marathon.  For this child I will persevere even when my legs are screaming "NOOO!" so that she has a better chance in live and can hope for a life without illiteracy, unemployment, domestic violence or dirty water.

Running With a Purpose

Me at the finish of last year's marathon with a broken foot

When I first started running my purpose was to lose weight to win a competition at work.  It was a good motivator for a short while, but would not have been enough to sustain me through the pain of blisters and shinsplints.  Luckily, by the time the competition was finished, I began racing and adored the rush of the crowd, cheering spectators, free bagels...but again the adrenaline rush of a race would soon wear off and the reality of putting in mile after mile became daunting.  This was especially true after I sustained a stress fracture in my foot at mile 19 of a marathon (26.2 miles).  Yes, I finished but was sidelined in a walking boot for almost 3 months and when I was able to come back had to start my fitness from scratch.  It was at that point that I decided to combine my now love-hate relationship with running with my love of charitable giving.  I trained for and completed a race for Determination, to raise money and awareness for cancer since my boyfriend is a 3 time survivor.  My fund-raising was so successful that a seed of an idea was planted.  Running to raise money for Compassion, the child sponsorship charity that is my other true love.  I looked into the Team Compassion and is sounds wonderful but....impersonal.  The money raised goes to the needs of the child health fund, but I will likely never meet the children who benefit.  When my friend and fellow Compassion advocate Amanda began advocating for a new project IN860, I knew I had found my calling.  This project is located IN an Indian red-light district and many of the children have mothers and/or siblings who have been forced into the sex trade.  Girls as young as 9 are sold into brothels so when I heard that Compassion was working in this area I felt like I needed to do something.  I sponsor a little girl there but it did not seem like enough.  As a brand-new project I know this center must be strapped for resources.  The idea then came to me.  I would push my body so they won't have to sell theirs.  I am planning on running a marathon in November and an hoping to use the enormity of this venture to get people's attention.  I give my sweat, they give their money and hopefully at the end of this there will be enough for a wonderful project gift for IN860.  At several points I didn't think this was going to happen.  From horrible shin splints to a recent accident while running another race that let to a head injury and broken nose, it seemed like the road blocks were many.  I will not let this project fall through though.  The Devil has put a doubt in my mind daily that I am not strong enough, that I will get hurt again, that I will fail and be an embarrassment to myself and my supporters.  To be honest I did procrastinate in starting this blog because of those doubts.  But no more.  So please join me in the fight for the children in IN860 so that all these children, including my own beautiful Bhagyashri, can have a wonderful project that can act as a safe-haven from the hell they live in daily.  I will be placing a chip-in-button on my blog, please consider a donation.  Anything, no matter how small, will be greatly appreciated.