Last spring I “ran” my very first 5K.  One of my friends had posted about running her first after training with the “Couch to 5K” training plan.  Although I was definitely way closer to the couch than I was to the 5K, I was inspired to give it a try.  I picked out a race to run and started training.

Excited about the challenge and also to hold myself accountable to actually doing it, I posted on Facebook what I was doing.  One of my friends messaged me that she would join me on the challenge and began training as well.  We sent encouraging notes to each other as we prepared.

I am so proud, and a little surprised, to say that I actually completed the challenge and ran the race.  My goal was to be able to do the whole race without walking, and I did it!  Unfortunately, my friend was unable to meet her goal.

During her training, her back started hurting and then a friend noticed that her eyes were yellow.  Visits to the doctor showed that her cancer had come back.  (A year before, she battled breast cancer and then was declared cancer free.)  This time the cancer was attacking her liver and her bones.  Last Friday, just 4 short months later, Dawn passed away.

Dawn and her husband walked through this last season of her life so inspirationally.  She always had a sparkle in her eye, and around her neck, and her wrist, and her fingers (she sold Premier Jewelry).  Never one to be selfish, she decided she wanted to do something to help other patients.  Dawn and a friend dreamed and then decided to hold a 5K this fall.  In her friend’s words:

We are planning a 5k for H.O.P.E. (Helping Offset PatientExpenses).  This will be a tribute to all of the HOPE that Dawn has shown us all.  It will benefit her family this year but Dawn’s HOPE is that in future years it can reach and touch others as well (as always she is thinking of others).  Dawn began training for her first 5k last spring and this has been a wonderful project that she has been a part of.  Her latest find were fabulous pink clappers with H.O.P.E. labels for the event..

It will be held on Saturday, November 5th at 9am.  It will be at the Rustic Park in Birdsboro, PA.

For more information and for the registration flyer you can contact me directly at adriasjewelry@hotmail.com. 

Let’s make this a fabulous event for our fabulous Dawn!  Even if you aren’t a runner…we would love to have you!

P.S.  The logo will be a sunrise…because the sun rises at Dawn. 

I just checked the calendar, and November 5th is 10 weeks away from this Saturday.  The Couch to 5K training program takes 9 weeks to be ready to run a 5K.  This summer, my training really slacked and so I feel like I’m starting from the beginning again.  So come Monday, my kids are going to school and I’m going back to training.  Will you join me?

You only need 3 days per week to train.  Here’s what you do for the first week:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.  (For more info www.coolrunning.com)

If I can do it, you can too!  So, are you in?

♥Becki, imperfect runner

P.S. if you aren’t local and you are looking for a new fitness goal, I encourage you to find a race local to you and join me in training!