colon cancer coalition

Get Your Rear in Gear Philadelphia 2013 was such a blast! I enjoyed all of the grueling training weeks that led up to the event, because I learned a very valuable lesson: anything is possible (getting more toned was another added benefit). I also appreciated the outpouring of love and generosity that I received from friends, family, and complete strangers. Bonded Forever ended up raising $1,435.00, which surpassed my team’s $1,000 goal! Go team!

Despite the fact that I mostly trained outdoors in the cold, I found the 10k during the day of the event to be very challenging. I had a lot of factors going against me: it was freezing out, I was semi-sore from pushing myself too hard during the week leading up to the event, I didn’t have time to stretch before the run, it was way too early in the morning, and my phone died 1/4 into the run (which left me without musical accompaniment and my NikePlus speedometer). The only thing that kept me going, were the people around me. My motivational music became the sound of hurried breathing and the rhythmic pulse of sneakers hitting pavement. I also looked at all of the runners in front of me and made it my mission to not stop running or slow down. I figured that we were all in this together and fighting for our loved ones and the cause. I didn’t want to let anyone down and tried my best to not let any nuisances or discomfort get in my way.

I ended up making it to the finish line in 59 minutes and 6 seconds, which was unfortunately my slowest 10k time to date. However, despite my slow time, I was beyond elated, proud, and relieved that I crossed the finish line with so many other dedicated people. It felt good to be a part of something bigger than myself.

After the race was over, I had a lot of fun with my two other team members, Jess and Kathy Musti. The close knit daughter and mother duo and I had a blast taking photographs inside the blow-up colon tunnel (I really want to meet the people who dreamed up this idea and designed it), exploring the different vendors, and drinking beer at 10 am in the morning (I took just a sip for the record). I’m really thankful that they joined my team to honor a loved one, helped raise money for the cause, and invited me over for a carb-o-licious pre-run dinner.

I am a bit sad that all of the momentum and training leading up to the event is finally over.  I seriously can’t wait to do it all again next year!  And who knows… this 10k just might inspire me to start training for a half marathon.

Below is a recap of the photographs that I posted on Instagram.  Enjoy 🙂

I was overwhelmed by the amount of people that showed up at the event!

There was a sea of runners both in front and behind me during the 10k run.  They kept me motivated.

I am so proud of all of the people that came to the event and crossed the finish line!

I absolutely love this photograph of Team Bonded Forever inside of the blow-up colon tunnel.  

 I truly kicked Colon Cancer’s butt at 2013’s Get Your Rear in Gear event.  Ka-pow!!

Tagged as: 10k, cancer awareness, charity fundraisers, colon cancer, colon cancer coalition, get your rear in gear, GYRIG