Put Your Feet Where Your Mouth Is
I wonder if this might be a good time to ask if anyone is interested in running the Army Ten-Miler with me on October 9 (the Sunday of Columbus Day weekend). The race is held in Washington, DC, and here is some general info:
Produced by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, the Army Ten-Miler proceeds support Army Morale, Welfare and Recreation, a comprehensive network of support and leisure services designed to enhance the lives of soldiers and their families. The race starts and finishes at the Pentagon, passing by DC landmarks including the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and the Capitol Building.
Registration begins on May 15 unless you are a US service member, in which case you can register now. If there are any interested members here, perhaps we can get some Ricochet gear to wear and maybe even enter as a team. (Logo? Whaddya think?)
If there's interest, I'll send out a reminder as May 15 approaches. Registration is capped at 30,000 and this year, perhaps, they will see a spike in applicants.
I am actually going to run, again, in honor of my dear college friend MAJ David G. Taylor who died five years ago leaving behind an infant and a perfect-match wife. (Tip: Don't read that link unless you have several minutes to grieve. It's a powerful, heart-breaking piece.) Three weeks after Dave was killed, I ran the NYC marathon wearing the T-shirt below.
Running any race is personally satisfying, but running one for others -- in the case of the ATM, our servicemen -- is deeply gratifying. I hope some of you will join me.
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Jun '10
Re: Put Your Feet Where Your Mouth Is
For those of us non-runners, is there a way that we can support the cause monetarily?
Jun '10
Re: Put Your Feet Where Your Mouth Is
I read the article. When I stop crying over the loss for this magnificent young man, I will try to live up to his ideals.
Dec '10
Re: Put Your Feet Where Your Mouth Is
Ursula -
Thanks for posting this. I once lived in D.C. and could run a fair amount, but neither are true now. Good for you and have a safe and successfull run!
Norwich University (Vermont) had some students last year raise money for the Semper Fi Fund by running in the Marine Corps Marathon. Perhaps the school and other similar institutions will do the same for the Army via "Wounded Warriors", or WRAMC (Walter Reed)?
Sep '10
Re: Put Your Feet Where Your Mouth Is
That would be fun. I live fairly far away from DC, but I may be training for a race then anyway, so this would be a good training run. I have lots of friends in the Army, so if some of them showed up too, so much the better.
Re: Put Your Feet Where Your Mouth Is
Thanks for reading it, AU. I re-read it often to be reminded to live better and with more purpose and to cherish each moment with my children.
Apr '11
Re: Put Your Feet Where Your Mouth Is
Good for you, Ursula. Unfortunately, although I live in the DC area, my running capacity is limited to sprints of 60-240 feet at a time (depending on whether or not a hit finds the gap in the outfield). If there is a Rico team running, though, I'd love to come out and cheer you all on somewhere along the route. Please keep us posted!
Edited on May 3, 2011 at 11:29amNov '10
Re: Put Your Feet Where Your Mouth Is
Ursula, I'd like to try to do this. I was thinking about training to finish a half-marathon in the fall. I'm still a fairly beginning runner--middle aged, started about a year ago, had a three-month gap due to an injury--so this would be a reach for me, but I think I could do it. And I'd love to meet you and any other Ricochet participants.
May '10
Re: Put Your Feet Where Your Mouth Is
I proudly own a Ricochet tank top and would be happy to be support staff for "our" team. I grew up in the DC area and Mom and Dad still live in McLean.
May '10
Re: Put Your Feet Where Your Mouth Is
I'm in. I've already registered (I'm not in the military, but I've run enough ATMs that I'm allowed to register in the first group). It's a really fun course that takes you across the bridge from the Pentagon into DC, past the Watergate, the Lincoln Memorial, the Mall, the Capitol, etc. I'd love to run it Ricochet style. I must warn you that I'm very slow, though. Last year, I think registration filled up in one day, which is why they instituted this two-tiered approach, so if you want to register, I suggest doing it early on the 15th.
Re: Put Your Feet Where Your Mouth Is
Good to know, thanks! I figure it will be extra popular this year, which means I'll probably have to get up at midnight on the 15th! I'm slow, too. Nothing like 3 kids to keep one from serious training. Thanks for this, PJ.
Nov '10
Re: Put Your Feet Where Your Mouth Is
I will add, although you may consider yourselves slow, I don't expect you real runners to actually run with my poor old self. I'll wave good-bye to you at the beginning and perhaps will see you waiting around when I'm done.
Perhaps my willingness to try this will encourage some others to attempt to get in shape over the next few months and join in. The minimum pace, if I read it correctly, is a 16-minute mile over the first five miles, which one could just about do at a fast walk.
Nov '10
Re: Put Your Feet Where Your Mouth Is
By the way, for any beginners interested, they've got a link to a training program that they say will work for beginners, available for $19.95. They've also got a tab for beginners, which doesn't have information right now but which they will presumably fill in later.