Sweat With Your Sole Race and Conference Weekend: 5K, 10K and beyond

I'm excited! There is a little over a month left before the Black Girls Run! Sweat With Your Sole Race and Conference Weekend, which will be held in Charlotte, NC. I am anticipating a life-changing weekend for many people. For many people I know, this will be their first time participating in a race. I am certain this event is bound to get more people passionate about increasing their physical activity and improving their health. If you are a participant, you have got to know that your presence at the start and finish line will be inspirational to the person on the sidelines who is thinking, "I could never run a mile!", "I am too big", "I am too small" or "I am too slow to run". Knowing this fuels my desire to keep going and motivate people to stop saying "I can't" and start saying, "I will". I know this to be true. I am walking and breathing evidence that nothing is impossible to achieve when you work hard to get it!

A few months ago, circa January 2013, I started looking for more African American Women in my area (I live in Monroe, NC, which is about 20 miles outside of Charlotte) who desired to run. I still love to participate in various Black Girls Run! meets around the city, but it was a long drive for me to get to most of these runs. I was determined to find Black Girls who wanted to run in my neck of the woods. I would put out posts on our Facebook page for unofficial runs(runs that are not held by a former run coordinator, which may be at a time and place convenient for whoever wants to run)in my area. At first, I didn't get much of a response. Gradually, a lady or two started showing interest, and then they started coming out. Although our group is relatively small, averaging about 4 to 6 ladies per meet, they have been consistent. We currently meet Sunday mornings and most of us are training for the Sweat With Your Sole races. I could not be more ecstatic about the progress these ladies have made over the past few months! There is one lady who has fought through an injury and is running the 10K. There is another lady who just makes me chuckle every time I think about her first time out. She was about to give up and I wouldn't let her. She just posted that she ran her first mile without stopping today, and she achieved her goal in record time. There was also a new lady this past weekend, 55 years young. She hadn't run seriously in a long time, and was able to run most of the 3.1 miles we set out to do that day. I could go on and on. Every time I get to a point when I think, "Why am I still going hard at this? What is my purpose?", I reflect on the dedication these ladies have shown over the past few months. I know that running has given me such joy and peace which "transcends all understanding", to loosely quote one of my favorite Bible verses. I have learned that physical activity strongly ties in with spiritual and mental well-being. Running is more than just a physical activity for me, it is my sanctuary and an outlet. It is my hope that more people, particularly African American women, change their views about being physically active. Many of the diseases that plague our community could dissipate with the simple decision to put one foot in front of the other.

Soooo...July is winding down and it is time for me to seriously get back on my grind! I have been taking it easy during the summer months because of the extreme heat. I try to run early mornings or late evenings if running outdoors, and my distances have been shorter. However, today I began the first phase of half marathon training for my third half marathon. I pushed myself to run 4 miles at an easy pace on the dreadmill at the gym, as well as some ab and arm work. I am looking forward to running the Black Girls Run! Sweat With Your Sole 10K because it will be a great way to work on my endurance and speed at half the half marathon distance. As a runner who participates in races, I am always looking ahead to the next race. It is my belief that most runners are goal-oriented people, and they love running because there is no limit to the amount of goals you can set to better yourself with each run. You plot and plan your route. You're meticulous about what you eat. You are particular about your running gear. Your attention to these details are what you feel are crucial to becoming a better runner. You don't really know why it matters so much to you, but you do it because it is your passion. Your passion is your purpose for living. You get up in the morning and you look forward to pursuing this passion. I see the Black Girls Run! Sweat With Your Sole Race and Conference Weekend as an opportunity to ignite people on the sidelines to pursue a health-oriented passion,and negate the stereotype that African-Americans are motionless people. Let's look forward to this weekend but look beyond it, and work towards improving the health of our community!