Hi everyone!

Now that I’ve completed the longest run in my training program and my bum hip didn’t give out, I feel good about sharing the news that I’ll be running the New York City marathon this year on November 5th! I had intended to participate last year, but an old college injury flared up and required me to sit it out. This year I went way slower with my training and have made it to the final couple of weeks before race day.

I’m sharing this because in order to secure my guaranteed entry I opted to run for charity – specifically the Team for Kids (TFK) program – and raise funds for school-based programs and youth events that provide free running and fitness programs to students across the country. Because I had to defer my entry last year I couldn’t fundraise but still pledged and now need to raise $2,620 for TFK by November 4th. Please consider donating to this wonderful cause! Literally no amount is too small. :)

Training for the marathon has been an overwhelmingly positive and rewarding experience for me. Through some really tough runs and innumerable aches and pains, I've become really proud of the way I speak to myself. Historically, I've always self-motivated out of spite or through negative self-talk. I've taken a different approach throughout the course of prepping for this marathon and decided instead to give myself grace when a workout wasn't going well or I felt like quitting. In working on being kinder to myself and not allowing the bad days to define my training, there's been a newfound joy in my runs and life. However race day goes, I know I've got the internal strength to talk myself up and be gracious with myself.

I feel really lucky for this opportunity to participate in the NYC Marathon and am so grateful for all the support I've received. I'm excited that through this fundraiser I'll be helping to provide youth across the country with opportunities to get into running – and hopefully develop a joy in speaking kindly to themselves as I have in this process.

Thank you all!