Virginia 24-Hour Run for Cancer
At 7:00 am on Saturday, April 30, 2016, I heaved a sigh of relief as I took off from the starting line of the Virginia 24-Hour Run for Cancer at Sandy Bottom Nature Park in Hampton, Virginia. With the exception of a two-minute break to change my socks and shoes, I ran for a full day and night and amassed a total of 111 miles.
Running this long has not been the hardest thing I have had to do this year. Rather, finding the time for graduate school while having a full time job, as well as managing all of the responsibilities that come with being a mother of three kids, all made me feel like I could not compete in this race. But with the support of my three children Mabelli (10), and the twins Mikiyas and Miriam (4), and my wonderful, patient, and supportive husband, Jacob, I managed to find the time to train and be ready to participate in this event.
A typical training run involved packing all three kids in the stroller with dinner-to-go. The twins would doze off, while I would help Mabelli with her homework. Once she was done she would help me by reading aloud an assignment or jot down notes I orated for a paper; this process made her well versed in conflict resolution theory! Since I do not have a treadmill, I run laps around the house in range of the baby monitor during the twins’ naptime during bad weather. I also have a portable elliptical under my desk at work and I run the stairs at Founders Hall at George Mason between classes. When I had to sit in class, I would usually hold my feet a few inches off the ground and do swimmer kicks or other stationary exercises in my seat.
For me, all of these unconventional training methods had to add up to the eighty mile per week benchmark I needed to be ready to compete in the race dubbed the Relay for Life event that raises funds for the American Cancer Society. Ultimately, aside from being ready to compete in the race, I was also able to come in first place in the women’s division and fifth overall, making all these sacrifices worth it.
In addition to the hours that I spend at S-CAR and training for ultramarathons, I serve as Director of Administration & Development at The Arc of Virginia, where I advocate to restore the rights of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). I work to end the institutionalization of people with disabilities and help the state convert to community-based housing, employment, and support services. What I am currently learning at S-CAR is helping me to come up with strategies to transform Virginia’s I/DD system and to end institutional segregation for all.
When I am asked why I take on so much, my answer is because family, work, school, and running are all important to me. Crossing the finish line for this race during finals week felt symbolic for closing the semester. In preparation for the next semester and the next training cycle I can perhaps better reflect on my mantra – “slow and steady.”