Saturday, June 26, 2010

Run for Congo Women and Skirt Chaser 5K

I haven’t talked about running recently in my posts, mostly because there’s been too much else going on that deserved attention like jumping out of airplanes, my sweaty crack and my dog licking himself. Never fear – always assume I am running.  Running is as much a part of my life as coffee and wine and cleaning someone’s skid mark out of the toilet. Because there is always either a skid mark or a clogged toilet!  Is it just my house?

For those who are yearning to know more specifics about my running journey, here’s what’s shaking in bullet points:

  • Tomorrow Emma (9) and I are running the Run for Congo Women in Denver (5K). Ever heard of this race? It benefits the women of the Congo who have suffered for the past 20 years due to the effects of war. 5.4 million people have died, nearly half of those under the age of 5.  Women in the Congo carry the heaviest of burdens. They have been gang raped and  tortured. They have watched their husbands and children murdered in front of them. They have been forced to flee their homes. Many have watched two, four, even seven children die from preventable illnesses. The proceeds from these races go directly to the women to help them rebuild their lives. There are races in 11 cities around the U.S. and in London. If there is one near you RUN IT. Every little bit helps.
  • I was offered a job as the logistical coordinator for the Skirt Chaser 5K on August 28 in Denver. I even get paid enough to support my Starbuck’s and toilet paper habits. Basically this means recruiting volunteers and running most of the show on race day. The Skirt Chaser is put on by Skirt Sports and Red Rock Co. out of Arizona. The race is at 5pm and there’s a big happy hour with lots of beer afterwards. I might get drunk and dance in just my skirt. About 1,500 people run it. They start out the women 3 minutes before the men. The men chase down the women. Kind of creepy. Winner gets $500.
  • If you are or will be in the Denver area and want to volunteer, CONTACT ME at brisdon@comcast.net. You will get a free running skirt (or a t-shirt if you’re a guy), beer and food. I need you!! Plus, I’d like to meet you.
  • I am officially certified as a RRCA running coach as of June 23, 2010!! If you want to run your first 5K or marathon and need hands on or remote coaching, I’m your woman!
  • 16 weeks of marathon training for the Denver Rock ‘n’ Roll on October 17 begins Monday. This is the first time I created my own training plan. It’s full of lots of fun things like Yassos, tempos, and long runs. Of course I'd like to beat my PR of 3:42, but am not completely confident this will happen. My training paces would be consistent with running at 3:38, but that is probably a distant pipe dream. Who knows?

I told you running was at the center of my universe. I read, work, eat, dream running. I’m sure you do, too.

After my post on work at home perks, some of you asked what my job is. I have my MSW and work as an independent contractor for social services. I do home studies on families who want to adopt or provide foster care for children who have been removed from their homes. I’ve been doing this for 12 years. It’s a pretty good fit for someone like me who loves writing, interacting with people, and helping kids in whatever way I can. Plus it affords me lots of time with my own babies (who are now 9 & 12).

Don’t forget about my awesome giveaway!

17 comments:

  1. Keep writing about running! Good luck with the Skirt Chaser assignment.

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  2. Wow!! Congrats on the job! That is so awesome!

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  3. If I lived anywhere near you I would definitely help!!! Sounds like such a fun race! Good luck to you and Emma tomorrow!

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  4. Both those 5ks sound awesome--good cause and good fun.

    So did you pick a plan from the books they gave us? I think I am going to use one for my fall marathon. Higher mileage than I've ever done before, but want to give it a go.

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  5. I sent this request on to my friend who lives (and runs) in Denver. Hopefully she can help you out! Sounds like 2 great races!!! Very cool about the new assignment.

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  6. Wine, coffee, running. The Trinity of a happy life.

    I am finishing up my coaching certification in a couple of weeks. You encouraged me to do it so a huge cyber high five for that one, thanks.

    I get to drive 11 hours to take the course. You would think Dallas was a big enough city to warrant one of it's own.

    JOE

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  7. Hi Bethie, Anna contacted me and looks like I'm in :). Thanks bunches for the referral, I look foward to working with ya! Good luck tomorrow, that's an awesome race!!!

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  8. Good luck with the skirt-chaser job. They had one in Raleigh recently that, from what I've heard, was a great event and a big success.

    Unrelated to your post, I seem to remember from prior posts that you're a Hammer Gel user, as are lots of running bloggers. REI is having a Summer sale and they have Hammer Gels on sale for $0.89 each versus the usual price of $1.25. Not sure if there are other cheaper options, but it looked like a good price. I mentioned it on my blog post today, but don't have much of a following, and thought you might want to pass that along to your vast following. Price is good through 7/5.

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  9. What a cool race (both of them) - I wish I lived in an area that had them. If I could make it out to Denver I would totally help you too!

    Oooh - remote coaching?? I'm gonna email you about this because I would love some advice/coaching for an upcoming half-mary in September and (still possible maybe) marathon in January.

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  10. Have fun with the race (and the skirt chaser gig)!

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  11. So I think my husband and I are going to try our own Skirt chasing run. We are interested to see if he could catch me. Great idea!
    Sounds like you have an awesome job.

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  12. Im in Denver 2 weeks before the Skirt Chaser otherwise I would volunteer. I have a couple friends there, I'll let them know you're looking for help.

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  13. Good luck tomorrow! I still think u should pick me as ur winner!!!

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  14. Colorado is too far for me (I'm in Ontario) but my sister-in-law lives there; I'll ask if she can help you out. It sounds like it's going to be a great event.

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  15. Congrats on your cert! Now it's all about wisdom!

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  16. Having been introduced to some phenomenal MSWs in our hospice practice & following one of them around, I have to say - you guys are the most underpaid underappreciated lifesavers that there are. I can't imagine the psychosocial issues that you have to deal with on a day to day basis.

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  17. No dice for me on the skirt chaser - but I REALLY think that it is cool that you've been able to do that. I would LOVE to get into it as well.

    But, I DO plan on stalking you as I am now officially signed up for RnR Denver. I totally just realized that it is 16 weeks away. EEK!

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