Thursday, October 10, 2013

Making Up for Lost Time

Hey there friends,
Sorry I've been M.I.A. from the running blog - this explains why I had many one page diaries as a kid...apparently I do not excel at consistent journaling. That's a goal for another day. Lots of runs between here and the last post. So here you go.

April - I had signed up for 2 races, but had to go out of town and miss them. Well to be honest, I had a random soccer injury - pulled calf muscle pretty badly and probably would have tried to run through it. However, I lost my Aunt Vicki to cancer and went out to support everyone through the services. I miss her all the time and wish she was still here. But that time allowed me to heal much better, so I think she's cheering for me pretty loud up there.

Race 4
May 4 - Hero Rush somewhere in MD
So much fun at this race with my friend GJ. It was a firefighter themed obstacle course with less mud and more random fire"ish" situations. Tried to get my old coworkers from IAFC to join in. Race was so much fun and we looked adorable with our suspenders and flaming socks. :)

Race 5
June 1 - Color Run in Portland, Oregon
Since I was planning to be in Oregon for work and my friend Karissa said she'd fly up from California for the weekend, I figured why not? Well as it turned my main contact at the hotel and a few of her friends were also planning to do the race. So fun! They said we could ride with them - awesome! Then invited us to join them that evening for a pubcycle night out - so awesome! Not great that both Karissa and I were fighting off colds - but we totally ran with the fun. The color run was my first experience being a tie-dyed person and was pretty fun - though I realized you should not open your mouth around that color - it does not taste great.

Race 6
June 8 - Run or Dye at RFK
This race was fairly similar to the previous race, but with my friend GJ again from the Hero Rush. Great way to catch up with each other and get a little exercise in too. And this time we were wearing tutus.

Race 7
July 20 - Louzilu Women's Mud Run somewhere in Loudon County
I joined this team through a friend's sister. All these fabulous ladies are 31 Gifts distributors and graciously let me join in with them. We were the Dirt Diggers and I just had to show up and one of the ladies gave me an awesome painted tank to wear for the race. This was not as muddy as the runs I've done previously as it was on some sort of track (motocross, maybe). However, it was lots of fun and certainly a challenge.

Race 8
August 10 - ROC Race at RFK
So ROC stands for Ridiculous Obstacle Course - this race was awesome. I started Team No Regrets...Just Awesome and convinced my friend Kjirsten, then together we convinced Amy. From there Colleen joined in and everyone Kjirsten  is related to came on board. This was so much fun - the race included an adult sized moon bounce to get up, on and over. A good amount of slip and slide, which was necessary on this normal August day. But truly the most fun was the giant inflatable slide into water at the end. That should be at the end of every race. And how could I forget the rainbow tutus we all rocked - ladies and gentleman alike. And then a few beers to celebrate the race made this one the best all around experience.

Race 9
September 6 - Electric Race at National Harbor
I signed on to this one late based on a friend's appeal that we come out in celebration of a friend's victory over breast cancer treatment. This race was at night and included lots of glow bracelet and other glowing stuff. I came with lightup hair extensions, glow in the dark nail polish, body paint, etc. And the race provided a bunch more stuff. This was another tutu race, which I rewore the lightly tie-dyed tutu from the Run or Dye. While the rest of my team is great paced walkers, I was amped up from some significant happenings at work and seemed jet powered. At the one mile mark, I had to take off and start running. I felt very Forrest Gump. This race was seriously cool along the water with lots of fun glowing pitstops for photos. I realized I love running at night, on a course with lots of people around.

Race 10
September 7 - Kick Start the NFL 5K at FedExField
GJ suggested this one and it was pretty fun, though we realized that FedExField's parking lots are  really very hilly. This race ended with a few photos at the field and a very nice finisher medal - that was pretty cool. Not sure how I didn't realize that I'd signed up for 2 races in 12 hours earlier, but this was actually pretty good. I wasn't too sore after the night's race and felt like I was already warmed up for the morning. So there could be a possibility on me doing one of those relays at some point...not there yet, but one day.

Still working on the rest of the year's races:
October - thinking of finding one for this weekend
November - Arlington TurkeyTrot - this one is great - I definitely recommend it.
December - looking for a fun one to end the year.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Four Miler Done and a couple new races added

Hello again Universe,

Current Status Update
January - PCMA 5K Fun Run - Done
Febuary - Pacers Love the Run You're With 5K- Done - 40:18
Also Cupid's Undie Run 1.5 Miler - Done and Raised $700.00 for a Great Cause!
March - Four Courts Four Miler - Done - 51:19

So Saturday was the Four Courts Four Miler. I was pretty nervous about this one - as the course was basically downhill for the first half, then back up hill for the second half. My colleague Beth did this with me and was an awesome encouragement machine. She took over deciding when we'd walk and when we'd run, which was great for me. She also kept telling me I was doing great, which made me want to keep going. So yay for motivation.

Then after the race, we ran into a friend, Dan, that I'd made after the Undie Run and he joined us for brunch. Since 4Courts was a crowded mess, we made our way down to Rhodeside Grill and had a lot of fun. After that I headed home to shower and rest, since my plans with another friend fell through. Though it was probably for the best.

I'm not too sore after this race, but feel a lot of work was done in my core/lower abs...so that's good. I plan to be up and at em tomorrow morning after taking Sunday and today off.

April 20, 2013 - The GloRun (FunRun)
So my friend Dan (above) has created a Touchy Feeley team for the DC Glo Run held at National Harbor on the evening of April 20. It's all about bright colors and fun running through black lights. http://bit.ly/shannons4x This should take you straight to registering with the team. The race is $40 + $3 something in processing fees. Since this race isn't timed, I'm not sure about it being the Baker's Dozen race, but I'm thinking about it.

April 21, 2013 - The Parkway Classic 5K
There is also a 10 miler, and while I want to increase the mileage, that might be a bit much for me. http://bit.ly/shannons4

May 4, 2013 - The Hero Rush
This is an obstacle course themed around firefighter challenges. It's supposedly not as muddy as the mudruns I did in 2011, but still a big challenge and a lot of fun!
Join my team "Team Chiefy" and use this code: TEAM15 for 15% off. http://bit.ly/shannons5, then click on Register Now. My heat is sold out at 10:00 a.m., but I'm sure we'd meet up before/after if anyone is still interested.

June - TBD
Since I'll be in Portland the week prior for work, I might stay over and do the Color Run in Portland, Oregon. But I'm checking with some friends in Bend and NoCal to see if they'd be interested in joining me in the city or if I should try to go visit them. Otherwise I'll have to find something the weekend of June 8 or 22 as those are my only free weekends this month due to weddingopalooza. :)

July - LouziLu
This is a ladies-only MUD run! So psyched that I came upon Erin Jackson's note on FB about doing her first Mud Run event...and psyched that I get to check off a ladies race that sounds like SO MUCH FUN! I've joined the Dirt Diggers team, and apparently all friends of friends are welcome. 9:45 a.m. wave. And the price is $49 from now through April ish, so you've got some time to think about it. :) http://bit.ly/shannon7

August - TBD

September - TBD
I'm hoping to do the biathalon again for Potomac River Runners, but not sure of the date yet.

October - TBD

November - TBD

December - TBD

Baker's Dozen - TBD  but maybe the Glo Run.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

An Update on the 13

Hello Universe, I got out of bed at 7:30 this morning and got outside about 10 minutes later. It was great not needing a hat and scarf, but still a little chilly. I started my walk from my building and made it down to the park pretty quickly. My normal walk run route has been a bit adjusted due to some high water rushing over part of the trail, but no matter. So I walked my still sleepy butt to the head of the trail side, changed over from Elliott in the Morning on I<3Radio to Armin Van Buren channel on Pandora. And then I started running, I made it to the rocky part of the trail and softly stepped through, then started running agin. This time I made it to the top of the hill and walked up a couple steps, then finished running. After walking the loop that runs along route 50, I turned back into the steep dip and engaged my legs walking down. I ran through a couple more tree to sign spots and walked back up the parking lot hill and back home. I got 4300 steps in 35-40 minutes, so not too shabby.

Current Status Update
January - PCMA 5K Fun Run - Done
Febuary - Pacers Love the Run You're With - Done - 40:18
Also Cupid's Undie Run - Done and Raised $700.00 for a Great Cause!

March 9, 2013 - Four Courts Four Miler
So I've signed up for this with my friend Beth O'Brien, currently training for her 5th marathon and running her 11th 1/2 marathon in the middle of her training for S&Gs - crazy girl. She's totally convinced me that I will be able to run this race and while I'm not sure I'll finish in anything other than last, I'm willing to give it a shot. This will be the longest distance so far and a good building point if I'm actually going to try a 1/2 by the end of the year. Is it wong that I actually figure there's not that much of a difference between 3.1 and 4 miles? And that I'm actually dreading the 2nd half of this race that is basically up a 2 mile hill? But the fact that there is a mug of guinness waiting for me at the end is keeping my reserve. I'd put the link in, but apparently the race sold out...so here's hoping I'm not #1200 of 1200.

April 21, 2013 - The Parkway Classic 5K
There is also a 10 miler, and while I want to increase the mileage, that might be a bit much for me. http://bit.ly/shannons4

May 4, 2013 - The Hero Rush
This is an obstacle course themed around firefighter challenges. It's supposedly not as muddy as the mudruns I did in 2011, but still a big challenge and a lot of fun!
Join my team "Team Chiefy" and use this code: TEAM15 for 15% off. http://bit.ly/shannons5, then click on Register Now.  My heat is sold out at 10:00 a.m., but I'm sure we'd meet up before/after if anyone is still interested.

June - TBD

July - LouziLu
This is a ladies-only MUD run! So psyched that I came upon Erin Jackson's note on FB about doing her first Mud Run event...and psyched that I get to check off a ladies race that sounds like SO MUCH FUN! I've joined the Dirt Diggers team, and apparently all friends of friends are welcome. 9:45 a.m. wave. And the price is $49 from now through April ish, so you've got some time to think about it. :) http://bit.ly/shannon7

August - TBD

September - TBD
I'm hoping to do the biathalon again for Potomac River Runners, but not sure of the date yet.

October - TBD

November - TBD

December - TBD

Baker's Dozen - TBD

Friday, February 8, 2013

6 of 13 set...update

January 15, 2013 - PCMA 5K Fun Run/Walk = DONE!This was really fun (and 7 PCMA's in the making, since I've signed up each year and slept through). The race does not appear to have been timed, but I'll update if I find one.

February 9, 2013 - Cupid's Undie Run - DC
This one doesn't really count towards the total as it's not really a race, but just really fun! And I've got some amazing friends and colleagues who have helped me raise $700 for this awesome cause - The Children's Tumor Foundation. But I'll share photos as I'm sure it will be hysterical.

February 10, 2013 - Pacers Love the Run You're With 5K
I did this one last year and have a love hate relationship with the hill, but generally not a bad course. http://bit.ly/shannons2

March - TBD

April 21, 2013 - The Parkway Classic 5K
There is also a 10 miler, and while I want to increase the mileage, that might be a bit much for me. http://bit.ly/shannons4

May 4, 2013 - The Hero Rush
This is an obstacle course themed around firefighter challenges. It's supposedly not as muddy as the mudruns I did in 2011, but still a big challenge and a lot of fun!
Join my team "Team Chiefy" and use this code: TEAM15 for 15% off. http://bit.ly/shannons5, then click on Register Now.

June - TBD

July - LouziLu
This is a ladies-only MUD run! So psyched that I came upon Erin Jackson's note on FB about doing her first Mud Run event...and psyched that I get to check off a ladies race that sounds like SO MUCH FUN! I've joined the Dirt Diggers team, and apparently all friends of friends are welcome.  9:45 a.m. wave. And the price is $49 from now through April ish, so you've got some time to think about it. :)  http://bit.ly/shannon7

August - TBD

September - TBD
I'm hoping to do the biathalon again for Potomac River Runners, but not sure of the date yet.

October - TBD

November - TBD

December - TBD

Baker's Dozen - TBD

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Baking for an Undie run...go figure

So although fundraising has taken on many different methods, I have discovered that the H.S. methods are still legit!  I planned and held a bake sale at my office to raise funds for my turn in Cupid's Undie Run coming up this Saturday.   Over the course of about 1.5 hours I raised over $135. A lot of it was from baked goods purchasing, but then there was a lot of people who just gave donations. Very cool way to involve the people you spend your days with :)

YAY NACAC,

Monday, January 28, 2013

A new addition to the list! Need fundraising Assistance

So I've just secured a fundraising spot in Cupid's Undie Run: http://hopecur.com/Shannonbawesome 

I will be stripping to my skivvies and running around in the frigid temps this February, all in an effort to raise funds so kids with neurofibromatosis (NF) can find the cures and support they need.
 
I am running in my undies in the freezing cold because we are in a race to cure NF. I believe we can do it! And for the millions of NF families around the world, I sincerely thank you for your help.
 
If I am willing to get out there in the middle of winter in my undies and make this bold move for such a worthy cause, I hope that you can spare a few dollars to contribute. 
 
Whether it be $5 or $500, every last donation to the Children's Tumor Foundation is appreciated, tax-deductible and goes a long way.
 
Just think - one donation could be equal to one night out to dinner, one movie with a friend, or your morning coffee. Save a life instead...

I need to raise $500 by February 9, so here goes, please support me in raising funds for the Children's Tumor Foundation, a great organization! 


Any help that you can provide would be appreciated!


Friday, January 18, 2013

My New Year Promise - 13 in 2013

So in 2013, I, Shannon Burke, will compete in 13 races between the dates of January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013.

This all started when I was thinking about what I should claim as my NYR...but have since changed it to a New Year Promise. The original idea was to run a race each month of the new year. But then I started thinking about how much I love the concept of a baker's dozen and so 13 races in 2013. When I got the fitbit in July of this year, I realized that I love the daily goal of 10,000 steps and get psyched when I beat that goal. Then when I signed up for the turkey trot in my neighborhood at Thanksgiving, I realized that walking 1 mile to the start, running a 5K, and walking home gave me almost 10,000 steps before 9:00 a.m. = awesome! So as a new long term challenge for the year, I've decided to participate in 13 races throughout the year. I invite anyone and everyone to join me for a race or all 13. I'll keep this blog up to date as a figure out the schedule and invite other suggestions too.

So far this is my plan:
January 15, 2013 - PCMA 5K Fun Run/Walk = DONE!
This was really fun (and 7 PCMA's in the making, since I've signed up each year and slept through). The race does not appear to have been timed, but I'll update if I find one.

February 10, 2013 - Pacers Love the Run You're With 5K
I did this one last year and have a love hate relationship with the hill, but generally not a bad course. http://bit.ly/shannons2

March - TBD

April 21, 2013 - The Parkway Classic 5K
There is also a 10 miler, and while I want to increase the mileage, that might be a bit much for me. http://bit.ly/shannons4

May 4, 2013 - The Hero Rush
This is an obstacle course themed around firefighter challenges. It's supposedly not as muddy as the mudruns I did in 2011, but still a big challenge and a lot of fun!
Join my team "Team Chiefy" and use this code: TEAM15 for 15% off. http://bit.ly/shannons5, then click on Register Now.

June - TBD

July - TBD

August - TBD

September - TBD
I'm hoping to do the biathalon again for Potomac River Runners, but not sure of the date yet.

October - TBD

November - TBD

December - TBD

Baker's Dozen - TBD

I hope that my telling everyone what my goals are that you'll all keep me honest and help me get this done!

XOXO,
Shannon