I run to spite those who said I should not, could not, those that sought to repress me, the ones that wanted conformity in their slice of society.  I may not be fast but in my mind I am not slow!  I run for myself and enjoy the challenge of each week on my schedule.

Some weeks I cannot avoid it.  I become the weekend warrior.  I go out against all wisdom and run too hard, too fast, too far to prove to myself I can, to make up for what I missed, to release the angry voice in my head.

And sometimes for no reason I offer no excuse but I am lazy and become that dreaded baby stroller walker all decked out in my high fashion running gear.

I wear racing flats not because I expect to run fast, come in first, or even place in my age group.  I wear them because they look good and they feel good.  And yes you may judge me but I will probably judge you for your underwear lines under your too tight pants.

I talk the lingo, I know the terminology, and I buddy around with the best.  Yet when it comes to toeing the line I know my place and stay back from the front of the pack.  Actually I am usually hanging around the halfway point or even in the back for the smaller races.

Oh and that running skirt trend, yeah I totally started that years ago before the skirts were made mainstream for running I wore tennis skirts because I hate my fat thighs and the look of shorts bunched up a person’s butt when they run.  Those two bit 5ks where I showed off my fashion savvy, yeah I have secret paparazzi following me and reporting back to Nike and Adidas.

And yes, I run with one of those fancy GPS gadgets on my wrist that is big and bulky and says to the world I’m so big you can’t help but see me, which means I’m totally cool for running with this on!  My Garmin is actually my husbands but I get a power kick from running two miles with it on even though it tells me I am running slow because it’s comparing my husband’s splits to my own!  I ignore the GPS except for at the very end of my run when it tells me I ran one second faster than two days before.  Then I start bragging on Facebook about getting faster and how my hard work must be paying off!

I eat like a runner in training. Then I eat like a runner after a race.  Then I eat without abandon because I tell myself I’ll run it off later.  Then I hate myself and eat another piece of candy promising myself some crunches that evening in front of the television.

I am so dedicated to my performance that I even find time to cross train once a week on Sundays when I slam it out on the volleyball court for an hour.  In the summer I’ll go wade in a pool with my kids and mark it down on my training log as a cross training day.  Sometimes I even get a real workout in by biking alongside my husband while he runs.  Thankfully I have a bike because I normally eat his dust both on his way out and on his way back in.

In reality, I probably don’t give myself enough credit (I did run my first half marathon while pregnant) and in others I probably brag too much (I ran it at almost a 13 minute pace).  But I like to be a part of the running community.  I enjoy the occasional times I manage to attend the YRRC runs. I love being a race director.  I love helping out at the finish line with the timing crew.  And I love watching those videos on YouTube that are everything from funny and mocking to inspirational.

 Runners are a special breed of people.  We love to do that crazy thing that others roll their eyes over.  We use and abuse our bodies in the name of fun, of health, of that runner’s high.  And whether we run in a group or by ourselves we are never really alone while our feet are out marking the miles.  Maybe I’ll see some of you out there!!!

* First published in Youngstown Road Runner's Club newsletter 2012.

    We have been receiving tons of questions on this new race!  We are very excited about the half marathon course and we are still tweaking the route.  What you see on the website is pretty accurate but may be subject to change up through race day.  We are running the route at all times of the day to make sure what the light conditions are, where we may need to ask dogs to be tied up, etc...  This is a country race so don't be surprised if you see deer crossing the road especially on Metz Road or other small critters!  The alpacas will look at you funny when you run past them too!

    I myself ran about 8.5 miles of the course today and LOVE it.  We reversed the direction we originally planned so for everyone stressing about the hills...they are a bit more friendly running it the new way.  You get to peak in elevation in the four mile area and despite having some more hills they are more rolling and some do last a distance but If you are trained for a half marathon and you run hill workouts you will be in a good spot for this race.  The hardest roads are going to be Metz Road, Crestview Road, and Kelly Park Road.  All three run parallel to each other so you are actually running the same hills; sort of!  

    While out running today actually had someone drive up next to me scoping out the course and making sure they understood it.  Which is what brought this post on.  If you have any specific course questions please ask and we will get you the answers.   As for restrooms along the route...still working on that.  Water stops are planned.  We have signs for all the miles and will also have directional arrow signs along the course.  Volunteers on the route and police at intersections.  We will have a lead vehicle and a vehicle at the end following the last person in.

We are excited to announce that we have been selected by Active.com in a partnership with Hyland's to distribute their leg cramp samples to our participants!  All participants will receive a free sample in their goody bag and will have access to an additional sample at the finish line. 

Our goal with this first year event is to create an event that will be of the same high quality of any destination race!  We want you to talk about this race until you sign up for year two and talk about the second year in turn!