Why I Run

Starting line of my first half marathon

A Great Running Season
Twenty- twelve was an incredible running season for me. I ran to honor the life and memory of 1LT Dimitri Del Castillo. In the aftermath of my running season, l felt a great sense of pride with all that I had accomplished over the course of the year. Throughout the season I participated in more than 10 events, proudly dawning my "Team Del" jersey with each and every race. I shared Katie & Del's story with a countless number people of people, made a few great new friends along the way and by surprise, won a number of awards including: First Overall, First Female Overall and First in Category amongst a few others. Beyond having a personal sense of achievement, I felt a great sense of purpose. I ran with a mission in mind: To honor the life and memory of a great fallen hero, tragically killed in war, and to raise awareness to the military community; two causes I hold very near and dear to my heart.

Twenty thirteen turned out to be an unexpected hiatus from my running achievements. In December 2012, I was accepted to run the 117th Boston Marathon for the St. Francis House in Boston. It was a great moment of excitement that was short lived; when in January 2013,  I was involved in a car accident that left me with a nerve injury in my neck- that at times felt unbearable. Each time I made an attempt to train distance, I found that the impact from running left me with excruciating headaches accompanied by extreme neck and shoulder pain.  As a result I decided to withdraw from the Marathon and running season all together. I decided I would use my down time as an opportunity to give my body the much needed rest, while still taking on new achievable endeavors in the fitness world. Never would I have guess it would lead me into figure building.

By May of 2013, fitness-wise, I was "competition ready." But the stage was never truthfully something that I longed for. What I needed was to find something, anything, to fill the void that I felt with no longer being able to run. I needed to find something that would create the same euphoria, adrenaline and mental challenge that I had experienced throughout my running season the prior year. While figure building provided an outlet, it never quite filled the void I had with the feeling I experience while running.

While I may still continue to make progress with maintaining my physique this year, I'm drawn back to running for a number of reasons. I have a lot to run for this year. So I would like to make efforts towards running a number of races throughout the year, with a  few fallen angels in mind:

1LT Dimitri A. Del Castillo, US Army- Ranger, 2011

SGT Daniel M. Vasselian, USMC, 2013

1LT James R. Zimmerman, USMC, 2010

SGT. Anthony Matteoni, USMC, 2011

SGT John P. Huling, USMC, 2012

WHI I RUN
I began distance running in 2011 after 1LT Dimitri Del Castillo was KIA; while serving his first deployment in Afghanistan. His wife, Katie who was also deployed at the time, made a simple request to the community during her beginning stages of healing upon her return home:Run and honor the memory Dimitri and keep his memory alive. It was a simple request that left me moved in such a way, that I felt compelled to respond. While I shared only a few memories with Katie and Del throughout my time in college, I thought the least I could do was show my support for Katie and run Del's honor. With a strong athletic ability in mind, I set out wanting to run further than a simple 5 or 10k. So I decided I was going to run 13.1 in his memory.

KNOWING MY OWN LIMITS
I learned a great deal throughout my journey towards becoming a distance runner…. Like what I am actually capable of. I learned that our minds bestow so many limitations on us. Small minds that is. Limitations often get the best of us when we are too narrow minded to see what it is we are actually capable of. Big minds; big minds dream big and see the bigger picture. A big mind realizes that any challenge faced in life however physically painful it may be, will always comes back to matters of the mind and how we choose to master it. But it also taught me to be realistic, and to listen to myself and to be more in-tune with my body. Throughout the course of the year I trained myself physically, and conditioned myself mentally. I worked and trained through a number of serious physical injuries, taking Katie's advice into consideration along the way:

"With running something will always bother you, then eventually it'll go away and something else will start hurting!"

Finish line of my first 13.1

My 2011-12 running season left me freed. Mainly from the mental burden that plagued me throughout the years. Suffering from boughs of anxiety I experience a good amount of self-doubt. Running taught me to train my brain in such a way to refocus my thoughts to think: "I can do this", leaving no room for doubt for and journey I face in my life ahead. To this day I still feel stronger than I've ever been, both physically and mentally. I believe strongly that I can do anything I set my mind to.

Throughout my first 13.1, I remember passing a number of individuals who lost their runners high early on. With every passing runner who had stopped I made it a point to tap them on the back and encourage them to keep going. As I turned the corner to finish my last mile, I began to think back to what brought me to the whole experience of running distance. It was Katie and Del and their story. I held onto it, and served it as my purpose and motivation to make it through some of the toughest challenges I had faced throughout my training. Along my journey I also developed a deep passion and a voice for the military community. I realized that creating awareness for the military community is something that I'll likely carry with me throughout my life. It's important to remember the people who put themselves out there for our country. It's especially important to remember their families too, because they make an equal sacrifice with having their loved one serve for us.

A preview of HLR Running Season Ahead:
Confirmed
May 25, 2014 -Boston's 10th Annual Run to Remember, 13.1, Benefitting Military Scholarship

To Be Confirmed
April 26, 2014- Nashville Rock N' Roll, 13.1, Benefitting St. Jude
October 26, 2014- 39th Annual Marine Corps Marathon, 26.2, Benefitting Military Families/ Scholarship

More to come….





For more on Katie and Del's Story:
http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=243197