Running & Friendships

Another thing that running has done for me over the years is helped me to develop some wonderful friendships. In high school, it was the other girls on the cross-country team. College brought many different running buddies over the four years, including the midnight running club, Eric who ran my first marathon with me, Ari and Sarah (who still are running buddies 8 years later when we are in the same town). Since we have been in Boston, I have had one primary running friend, Jen. She and I worked together in my first job at the hospital. We had talked about how we were both runners, and then one early morning, I was out for a run along the Charles River, and we ran past each other. We began running together, and then hung out with each other and our husbands. They became fast friends.

Running has yet again allowed me to develop a new friendship. Our new associate pastor, Dane and his wife, Laura, recently moved to Watertown. Somehow in our first conversation with Dane, it came up that I was a runner, and he wanted me to meet his wife, because she too loves to run. We met, and talked briefly. We commented that we should sometime run together, but over the next few weeks it never worked out. Finally, I invited her for a long run this past Saturday, and she was actually already registered to run the Wicked Half Marathon in Salem, MA and asked if I wanted to run it with her. So, as it turns out, the first time Laura and I hang out, we are running a half marathon. One of her coworkers, Beth, also ran the race with us. So for the next 13 miles, we chatted about our careers, husbands, previous races, vacations, and who knows what else. It was a beautiful day, great company, a really neat race, and just another reminder of why I love running so much!

The half marathon was a good warm-up for the full marathon in November. I felt great... injury free! I finished the race in 1:50:52, and that put me in 31/105 in my age group... not bad! I tend to be a pretty steady runner. Laura and Beth took off in the last mile and finished about a minute ahead of me. Check out the picture of the Wicked Half Marathon! Thanks for reading!

Fostering Growth & Development in Children Here & Abroad

I'm taking an online course to get my preschool teacher certification in Massachusetts. I'm a social worker in a Head Start preschool. We have 110 one through five year-olds, and our mission is to serve the low-income, highest risk children in our local community. I love my job, and I am hoping the things I am learning about childrens' growth in this job, will help me as I explore how to help our friends in Africa.

So the class I am taking is called Child Growth and Development, and several of my assignments include observing a child for 20 minutes and recording, in detail, the child's actions and interactions with others. This morning I observed one particular child with the teacher. Now, I observe children everyday... it's a huge part of my job to assess growth and development, as well as mental health and any other concerns that arise. However, this morning I was especially struck by the interactions this child was having with the teacher. It was early in the morning, and so only a few children were in the room. The teacher was able to provide some one-on-one time with this child. As she asked him questions, I felt like I was watching him learn right in front of me.

As I watched, I thought about the schools I visited in Zimbabwe, and the children and families I met there. Many children had loving and caring parents or other caregivers that could provide this kind of one-on-one support and learning, but we met many others who could not. Parents who so desperately wanted to provide emotional care for their child, to teach them to cook, or farm, or read, but who were too sick or too emotionally drained from their own grief and pain to adequately provide for their children. And then there were the children who did not have a parent left at all to provide that role. In many communities Forgotten Voices is providing school fees so children can be attending school on a regular basis and receive support from their teacher and education. Volunteers are trained to visit the children in their homes, to be listening ear to the parents or the children, to help the children be successful.

How can we better help these children and families in Zimbabwe and Zambia receive that extra support that they need for healthy growth and development? Not only was the child in the classroom this morning learning about colors and learning new words, but he was developing self-esteem, and developing social skills that will help him be successful in the future. This is the goal we are working toward now in the next steps of Forgotten Voices. The more I think about my trip, the more excited I am about the intersection of my professional life here in the United States with my deep desire to advance the mission of Forgotten Voices personally, and the opportunity to trust in God to see how he can use me next. This is what I am running for. This is what I am praying about. Please see the side bar on this blog to learn how you can support me through prayers and financial giving. Thanks for reading!

Pictures from Yesterday's Beautiful Run!

The one thing I regretted about yesterday's run was not taking a camera with me to capture the beauty that city running has to offer. Today was another gorgeous day, and I took my bike down to capture a few of the views from yesterday's run. I had intended to bike about 4 miles, just a few to get a couple pictures to share with you. Instead, I just couldn't stop because the day was so great, and I ended up biking the full 13 miles. Enjoy the pictures, and please remember why I am running and writing this blog!

Best Run Yet

This morning I ran 13 miles. This is the first time I have run this far since last Fall when I was training for the Philadelphia Marathon. What made this the best run yet? Several things... First, I just felt good. My body felt ready for the distance. Some days I will go out for a run and just feel off. I don't quite feel like I can find my stride. Not today, I felt like I was running in rhythm... it just flowed. Second, it was an absolutely beautiful day. Probably the nicest day we have had so far this year in Boston. The sun was shining so brightly, yet there was a brisk, cool breeze blowing. One of the neat things about running in Boston is that you are never running alone, and today was no exception. I can honestly say that there were several hundred other people out running, biking and roller blading with me this morning along the Charles River. Sail boats dotted the river, and I listened to the shouts of the crew team captains as the boats glided past.

Probably the biggest reason this was my best run yet, was that Ryan joined me! Since my running buddies were all away this weekend, he decided to ride his bike with me. He would ride on ahead when my pace got too slow, but it was fun to meet up with him at the checkpoints. He provided gatorade and shot blocks along the course. It is Ryan's 30th birthday this weekend, and it was just fun to get up early with him and make use of such a great day by being outdoors together. Each run is a unique journey, and I'm glad he shared this one with me.

Tomorrow I am going to ride my bike down along the path that I ran to take some pictures to share with you, and hope to post them tomorrow night... come back and check them out!

Why Am I Running for Children Who Have Been Orphaned?

I had the opportunity to go to the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit in Dallax, TX this past Spring. Although the topic of the conference was about one of the most sad and painful issues facing our world today, I walked away from that conference encouraged and challenged that there is hope and that I can make a difference. Two particular points continue to burn in my mind four months later.

The first is that we do not have a choice but to reach out to help and serve widows and orphans. And specifically, the church must be involved in this issue. God makes it clear throughout scripture that we are commanded to care for orphans. James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." Hosea 14:3 says, "...for in you the fatherless find compassion". Deuteronomy 10:18 says, "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." And this is just a sampling of the many times that Scripture speaks of our mandate for this population.

The second major idea that I walked away with is that while government programs and other non-governmental organizations are important, it is the church, with the incredible, supernatural power of Jesus Christ supporting the work, that will have true, lasting impact in meeting the physical and spiritual needs of these children and families. We, the Church, MUST be involved in caring for widows and orphans!

For those of you who have already been involved in addressing the impact of the AIDS crisis through your time, money, and prayers - Thank you! For those of you who have not yet, but feel that God is calling you to get involved, here are just two of the many ways you can get involved. One is to support me as I train for a marathon to raise money for Forgotten Voices. Forgotten Voices equips and supports local churches in Zimbabwe and Zambia to care for the children orphaned by AIDS in their communities. Check out the side bar on this blog and read previous posts to learn more about the project your prayers and donation will support. You can also go to www.ForgottenVoices.org to learn more about the organization and make a donation online. Be sure to write Katie's Run for FV in the comment box when you make your donation.

Another great way to get your church involved is to organize an Orphan Sunday event at your church. This event could be an opportunity to educate your congregation about the AIDS crisis and the plight of children and families, and share with them the work of Forgotten Voices. You could take a more domestic approach and focus on foster care and adoption in our own backyard. However you choose to approach it, we need to answer God's call to address this issue! You can learn more about this national effort at http://www.orphansunday.org/.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for praying. And thanks for joining me on this journey.

Change In Plans...

So I learned a lesson about planning this weekend that has resulted in a drastic change in plans for the race. When planning for a bigger race, I have a habit of training for a few weeks to make sure my body will withstand the training before registering for the race. This is not the best planning, because these races are filling up earlier and earlier every year, and the Philadelphia Marathon, which I had planned to run is no longer accepting registrations and I had not yet registered!

While I was very disappointed to discover this, it allowed me to research other marathons in the area. I ran Philadelphia last year and had an incredible experience, but now I am excited about a unique race that I found. It is called the 20th Anniversary Northern Central Trail Marathon in Sparks, MD, and it is on Thanksgiving weekend. This race has a little over 400 runners as compared to Philadelphia's 20,000 runners. This race is almost completely on a trail surrounded by the beautiful changing leaves, while Philadelphia is mostly asphalt surrounded by the city excitement. The course is a USATF certified, so in the off-chance that I get a Boston Qualifying time, it will count. :) There are plusses and minuses to this change, but I am officially registered for the Northern Central Trail Marathon, and very excited for a very different marathon experience! Thanks for your continued prayers and support!

Anonymous Donor Offers Matcing Funds - Give Today!

An anonymous donor has agreed to help me reach our $7000 goal by matching the first $3500 that is raised. This means that the impact of your donation to help the children in Zimbabwe is doubled when you give in support of this race! This donor also left the door open to higher numbers if I finish in the top 50 of my age group in the Philadelphia Marathon. Consider giving today to partner with us in meeting the spiritual and emotional needs of children orphaned by AIDS.

Please keep me in your prayers tomorrow. I usually do my weekly LSD (that means Long Slow Distance) on Saturday or Sunday with my friend, Jen. However, I will be traveling to Pittsburgh this weekend for my friend, Randon's wedding, and will not have time to fit in a long run. Therefore, tomorrow after work, I will be doing my longest run yet... 11 miles... solo. I've done it before, and I am sure I will be fine, but the time just goes faster when I run with Jen. We end up chatting about life, the books we are reading, work, God... pretty much anything can come up with the amount of time we are out there through the course of 4 months of training. Oh, I also won't be writing any new blog posts until I get back from Pittsburgh, so I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to reconnecting on Monday!

What Running Has Meant to Me

I was thinking about all of the reasons that I run... there are many, and over the next few months, I will likely take some time to reflect on many of them with you. But today I was thinking about how I first got into running. I remember my very first run. It was the summer before I decided to join the cross-country team at Weatherly High School. I was camping at Ricketts Glen with my best-friend's family, and her older brother, James was already on the cross country team. He suggested that we go running there in the state park, and I enthusiastically agreed. I was enthusiastic for about the first 30 feet until I realized how much work it was going to be. I will never forget at about the 1/4 mark, I said, "James, I feel like I'm going to be sick." He said, "Good. That means you're working hard." I answered, "What if I actually do get sick.", and he responded "Even better!".

I've come a long way since that first run, and actually stuck with it and proceeded to run four years of high school cross-country. I'm pretty sure that running with that team helped to get me through high school. I was a pretty shy kid, and dealt with the typical adolescent insecurities. Running helped me develop awesome friendships (more about this in some future posts), and gave me confidence and built my self-esteem. At graduation, our class chose songs for each student that represented something about them... the song my peers chose for me went, "Ready, ready, ready... ready to Run!"

The meaning that running has had for me throughout high school and now into my young adult years adds extra meaning to the cause I am now running for. While running helped me through those awkward adolescent years, I am reminded that the concerns and fears I faced are nothing compared to the concerns and fears of the children in Zimbabwe. While I was worried about what the kids in homeroom would think of my new outfit, the children there are worried about what the kids at school will think if they find out their Mom is HIV positive. When I was worried that I might not be able to go to the amusement park with my friends because we couldn't afford it, these children are thinking about whether or not they will have something available to eat for dinner.

I have been running now for 13 years... some of these children will not live to see 13 years, and for those that do, it is going to take more than a silly hobby to get them through the trauma and tragedy they see in their communities each day. This is why I am running now... not for myself... but for my friends. Because I have hope that through the local church in Zimbabwe, these children who are orphaned by AIDS, will find the emotional, spiritual and physical support that they need to carry on, care for their siblings, and give back to their own communities as they grow and learn. Please be sure to view the side bar of this page to see how you can support these efforts. Visit www.ForgottenVoices.org to learn more about the organization that is working through local pastors in Zimbabwe and Zambia to help meet the needs of vulnerable children. Thanks for reading and getting involved!

The picture at the top is with some of my best high school cross-country buds... here below is my friend, Sammy.

What's This All About?

I am a consumer of information. Ask Ryan... I am constantly reading. And I'm not reading Harry Potter or People Magazine (not that there is anything wrong with reading these), but I love reading academic books about early childhood education, Africa, AIDS, and eating disorders, biographies and non-fiction novels that teach the history of different countries. Very rarely will I read something unless I think I will learn something new. But I have come to realize that while I can read several books in a month and feel more knowledgeable about each of the topics, I feel like have not done much with the knoweldge I have gained. This is just one of the many reasons I have decided to take an active role in one of the next endeavors of Forgotten Voices.

For those of you who don't know about Forgotten Voices, it is an organization that works through local churches in Zimbabwe and Zambia to help the church meet the physical and spiritual needs of orphans and vulnerable children. This is done through paying school fees, providing skills training in farming, sewing, etc., providing home-based care, and many other locally developed plans based on the needs of each particular community. One of the concerns that has been raised by the pastors and volunteers in Zimbabwe is they feel unquipped to adequately meet the psychological and spiritual needs of these children who have experienced so much trauma and grief.

In January 2010, I will be joining Ryan and a few others to Zimbabwe for two weeks. My role on this trip will be to meet with pastors and volunteers, and explore with them in greater detail, what they feel are their greatest needs in improving the psychological and spiritual care of these children. While details are still being worked out as I continue to research and plan, this will likely be done through surveys and focus groups. Our goal is to partner with other professionals in the U.S. and abroad, and collaborate with the pastors and volunteers in Zimbabwe to strenghten this area of service provided through the church and supported through Forgotten Voices.

I will be running the Philadelphia Marathon to help raise funds for this trip and the ongoing project. This blog is a way to keep you posted on my training (marathon training is INTENSE... it's preparing to run 26.2 miles!!). I will also share stories about the preparation for the trip to Zimbabwe, the things I am learning about orphans and vulnerable children, and some other running stories. I would love if you would follow my story over the next couple of months. Pray for me, as this is a big undertaking during a rather busy time of life. And read the side bar of this site, about how you can partner with me, through prayer and financial support. Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Katie


This is one of my best friends, Sarah, and I before beginning the Philadelphia Marathon 2008... look at how much energy we had before running the distance!