My Story

I'm not a runner.

Wait. Let me try that again.

I wasn't a runner. I am now.

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March 1, 2012: I signed up for my very first 5K race. At this point, I'd never even run a mile (I'd run my first mile 11 days later - in about 14 minutes). I was excited for the journey to come.

I was also terrified.

My first set of goals for the 5K included:

1. Finish.
2. Run more than I walk.
3. Wear the cutest outfit.

As race day drew near, my goals changed. I now wanted to run the entire race (no stopping, no walking) and I wanted to do it in under 45 minutes.

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May 20, 2012: My husband, Duane, was also running the 5K that day (his first, too) and my Mom and Grandma came along to support us. When the gun went off, I took off toward the first hill and thought, How in the world am I going to live through this?

While running through the trails, up hills, around corners and back down hills, I envied the people stopping to walk. I wanted to be them. But I knew that victory would taste so sweet if I could just cross the finish line without walking or stopping. There were times that I thought to myself, Why did I sign myself up for this? This is the worst idea I've ever had.

And then I saw the finish line.

I took off like a gazelle. That big, blow-up arch that hovered over the blue mats was my salvation, and I couldn't wait to glide under it. As I ran, I said aloud to myself, You did this.

When my feet crossed the finish line, I burst into tears. After finding my entourage (which now included my BFF, Stephanie), I gave hugs, received congratulations and asked Duane, When's the next one?

I was hooked.

Four 5Ks, one 1-mile sprint, and one 10K later, Duane and I decided to challenge ourselves to run at least one race per month in 2013, with our end-of-year goal being a Half-Marathon.

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January 14, 2013: When our church announced that they were gathering a team to run the Detroit Marathon and Half Marathon  in October 2013 to raise money for clean water in Kenya, we knew that this was a great opportunity for us to train with a team to run the Half-Marathon we were planning to complete. 

But something didn't feel right to me.

Why just the Half-Marathon? I thought to myself. Surely, we could run the Full.

Long story short: we are.

On October 20, 2013, Duane and I will be running the Detroit Free Press/Talmer Bank Marathon. Twenty-six point two miles. But we're not running it alone.

Over 1400 of our fellow Kensington Community Church-goers will be running it with us. And we're running with purpose.

As we train, we are also raising money to build wells in Kenya for the Pokot tribe. The Pokot tribe numbers nearly 1 million people. Only 10% of those people have access to clean water. Every day, women and children walk up to 4 hours to search for filthy, disease-infested water for their families to drink.

Unsafe water and poor sanitation have claimed more lives worldwide over the past century than any other cause - more than war, more than malnutrition, more than natural disasters. 

- Australian Red Cross Website

We can change the lives of Pokot people - change their future. Please join me and Hope Water Project in bringing Kenya's forgotten people clean water - and hope. Just $45 will give water to one person for life.

If you are able, and feel inclined to donate to this worthy cause, you can do so through my secure donation page. I am also raising funds for Hope Water Project by 'selling' one-of-a-kind handmade cards (100% of money collected for these cards is going directly to HWP).

If donating money isn't an option for you, we would so much appreciate your prayers for the Pokot and for our fearless (and some not-so-fearless) runners.

This year is shaping up to be one of the healthiest, busiest, and most challenging years of my life. And I'm loving every mile of it!


Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 
- 1 Corinthians 9:24