therunningspeechie

Today’s workout:

12 miles/1:49

Today’s run was a good one because it was the official start of my training for the 2013 Pittsburgh Marathon! Derek and I headed out for an out-and-back 12 mile run down the Carriage Way in Newton. It was lightly snowing the entire time, so I looked like this when I got back:

Ok, not quite but you get the idea.

It was a good run until the end when I bonked because I skipped lunch and felt like my stomach was sinking into my back. I came home and inhaled some food, so I’m better now – no big deal. And it’s all in preparation for…..I’m running the Pittsburgh Marathon on May 5th, and I am SUPER PUMPED because not only will it be my 10th marathon, but it will also be my first time running for a charity. I’m running for Free Wheelchair Mission, a charity that provides mobility equipment to people who live in developing countries and cannot afford nor have access to it otherwise. With just $71.88, FWM builds wheelchairs inexpensively to withstand rugged terrain and distributes them globally at no cost to the recipients. I chose this charity because its message hits close to home for me. According to FWM, an estimated 98% of physically or mentally impaired children in developing countries do not attend school. Reading this statistic is absolutely heartbreaking to me because most of my students rely on wheelchairs, standers, and adaptive mobility equipment to access their education. Basically, if they weren’t positioned with the appropriate supports and didn’t have access to the best equipment, doctors, and physical therapists, I couldn’t do my job of helping them communicate. So, I feel like this is a great chance for me to spread awareness about the charity and give others the “gift of mobility” as FWM states. If you’re interested in donating, you can visit my fundraising page here (you don’t have to read my spiel again if you don’t want to). Every little bit counts!

I chose to run Pittsburgh because I went to undergrad at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, which isn’t far from Pittsburgh – we usually went to ‘the Burgh’ on the weekends to eat, shop, and party – and I have a lot of really great memories of the city. I haven’t been back since the fall of 2010, so I’m really looking forward to my trip!

In other news, last night Derek and I went to see The Straight Line at the Museum of Fine Arts:

This French film is about a talented track runner who loses his vision in an accident and has to rely on a guide to train and participate in meets. It’s a great story about perseverance, love, and positivity through struggle. It really has something for everyone and I highly recommend it!

After the movie, I had the pleasure of seeing Josh Crary from BostonBlindRunner talk about his perspective on marathon training, life, etc. Josh ran the Boston Marathon last year with a guide and will be running this year, too. I really like his positive spin on life’s challenges and the guy’s got a great sense of humor. I’m thinking a guest post/interview with him would be a fabulous idea for the future – I’ll have to think about what I can use to bribe him.

My empty stomach is getting angrier and angrier while I’m typing this hullabuloo, so I’m going to go make some nom noms before the game starts. Rest assured I’ll be demonstrating my usual football-watching-behavior of critiquing all the players’ bodies, specifically their bottoms. Yaaaay Team! Poor Derek.

Anyone running any races anytime soon?

What would you ask Josh if you had the chance?

Have you ever run for a charity before? Which one? What was it like?

Who are you rooting for in tonight’s game?

Tags: blind running, Boston Marathon, Free Wheelchair Mission, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, marathon training, Marathons, Pittsburgh Marathon, running, running with a guide, The Straight Line, Training