Run for the House

That’s right, I had a 5K race today for the Ronald McDonald House in Lansing. The Ronald McDonald House program provides a “home-away-from-home” for families so that they can stay close by their hospitalized child at little to no cost. Every house provides home-cooked meals, private bedrooms, and playrooms for children. Ronald McDonald knows that families are stronger when they are together and that it’s important to the healing process. This year, thousands of dollars were raised through the Run for the House fundraiser.

I came in 1st in my age group (Females 15-19) and I think 95th overall (edit: 94 out of 624) with a time of 25:18. Just 17 seconds slower than my CCRR time and 10 seconds faster than my high-school cross country time. Considering that I didn’t really consciously train for this race or planned on competitively racing for this 5K, I was quite proud of my time and absolutely LOVED receiving my first non-participant medal. And all this in 20deg weather!

In other news, this weekend I am moving out of my apartment and back in with my mom until my new lease starts at the end of August. In order to be really ready for my Tanzania trip, I really think that I need to be home. I just was not gaining weight at the apartment, which was a toxic environment for me. I was able to obtain a doctor’s note to get out of my lease early, as well as the doctor’s note that I needed to be allowed to go to Tanzania, so, it looks like everything is coming up Ellen!

I’ll be extremely busy settling myself in to my “new” place, but I’m so glad that I’ll really be able to take care of myself and be in a better environment to heal and grow. I still plan on working out, but it will no longer be in a gym setting, but rather more workout DVDs and outdoor running (once the weather finally warms up a bit).

What kept you going the last time it felt like the whole world was against you?