Tune-up race – NYCRUNS Central Park Half Marathon

Posted on February 26, 2016 by lljkline

Last weekend I ventured to NYC to run a tune-up race prior to my marathon (which is now only 2 weeks away!!). Also to obtain the elite qualifying time I needed for that marathon. Did I run time I needed? Yes. Did I run the time I wanted? No. But hey, that’s what tune-up races are for – to see where your fitness is and what improvements need to be made. Yes, I am celebrating a win, however the greater experience I got from this race lies in what I take away from it. As with any race, you learn.

This race took place, as you can infer by the name, in Central Park. The half marathon consisted of 3 loops – each one slightly different from the last. As much as I studied the course map I was nervous about making an error. However the signage for each loop was easy to read and understand, the volunteers and course marshals were on top of directing you appropriately, and I had the added benefit of the lead female cyclist riding alongside me throughout the entire race. Not only would she tell me whenever an aid station was near, but she would also ride ahead to each intersection that she could stop and make sure she was directing me to the appropriate loop. She was awesome!
I started at a conservative pace (what?!?) and held a fairly consistent pace throughout the race. This is not my racing style – I tend to go out too hard and hang on for dear life. It’s what has always worked for me. Sometimes I like to experiment with “doing it right” – or at least doing what other people preach is right. Today was one of those days. At the start line I chatted with a man who had arrived from London 2 days prior and decided to do this race while he was in town. We talked about our time goals and I gave him my A and B goals. He then asked if I was going to “go for it”. I told him it depended on how I felt. While there was no need to put it all out there it would’ve been nice to test myself. But…I definitely wasn’t feeling it and I certainly didn’t go for it. I felt controlled the whole race, but not strong enough to push it. It was a good way to start the season 🙂

Photo: NYCRUNS

This was the first race in my Topo Tribute’s. Verdict: I love them. They are super-lightweight, extremely breathable, and provide the perfect amount of protection for the ride. Basically, I did not even notice my shoes at all, which is exactly what I want in a zero drop racing flat. If you want to read a comprehensive review of the Tribute, check out this one.

TOPOKLINE20 for 20% off

NYCRuns put on a great race. It was well-organized, well-staffed, and they provided nice swag along with a post-race spread including lots of fresh fruit that you don’t normally see at races. Berries and grapes? Yes please!

And now some work to do before my next race…

#TrailsRoc 0SPF – a humbling day

Posted on July 24, 2015 by lljkline

Gathering for the start. Photo credit: Ben

When Eric Eagan of #TrailsRoc invited me back to run the 0SPF 1/2 marathon trail race in Victor New York it didn’t take much twisting of my arm. I had a great time last year – the trails are well-maintained, the terrain offers a little bit of everything, and the race crew and volunteers make you feel like family. And yes, when you can go to The Red Fern in Rochester for a post-race meal…it’s a no-brainer! This year fellow Strong Hearts Vegan Power teammate Sean Scott joined me which was an added bonus!

Last year I was able to take the win and a new course record after racing the 2 previous weekends. I was fully prepared to beat last year’s time – this year I had almost a full month off from racing and with this race falling in the middle of a new build phase I was feeling strong! Perhaps I felt too confident because I failed to focus on some key components. So the race turned into a humbling experience – one that is needed from time to time to remind you that races don’t always go as planned, even when you go into it feeling 100%.

When we arrived in Victor the skies had cleared and the sun was shining bright! Turns out some pretty crazy storms greeted them early in the morning making the #TrailsRoc crew work extra hard to ensure the trails were ready for the racers. But along with those clearing skies and bright sun came humidity. What is the #1 thing I always pay attention to the week leading up to a race? The weather! Especially where heat is concerned. I can never guarantee how I will fare on a hot day but I can at least take some important steps to prep my body. Leading up to 0SPF I knew that there was a chance of storms, but I never even bothered to look at the temps and consider that this could be a prime condition for high humidity. I guess I figured the race was short enough that it wouldn’t matter. When we slip in our planning we are quickly reminded of it 🙂

In fact, when the race started I still didn’t think I would have an issue. Talk about being over-confident! In the first mile I was feeling overheated but we were also exposed to the sun for most of it and I knew soon enough I would be in the shelter of the trees, settled into my pace, and my body would calm down. By mile 2 my face felt very flushed and my head was throbbing like it was going to explode. Mile 3 came and I had to succumb to walking runnable hills – not because my legs were failing me but because running up them caused my temps to soar even higher. I was stepping off to let people pass me by this point – there was a lot of single track and I felt bad holding people back. I played my usual game when things aren’t going well and convinced myself that I would reach a point where things would improve and I would feel like myself again. My first point was 3 miles but obviously that had passed with no improvement.

Photo credit: Mike Lesher

I then told myself that after the turnaround I would feel great and negative split the race. Okay, sometimes the self-talk can be a little too far-fetched 😉 I was able to hit the turn-around still in 2nd place but the next few females were not far behind. Hitting those hills on the return I was close to crawling – I actually doubted my ability to walk up the steep ones as I was feeling a little dizzy. I filled my Inov-8 Race Ultra Vest with 1.5 liters of water thinking this would be more than enough for 2 hours of racing but it was draining quick. There were aid stations on the course but they did not provide cups (and the racers were well aware of this – thank you #TrailsRoc for avoiding unneccessary waste!) I knew that with my pack I would not need to stop for water but I now realize that in hot races I rely on dumping water over my head at every opportunity. I could have very easily packed my collapsible cup provided to all athletes at the Vegan Power 50k and solved this problem very easily. Another lesson learned!

I arrived at an aid station and the wonderful volunteers offered ice. I didn’t have to think twice about stopping for some! They were kind enough to shove a huge chunk down the front of my shirt and it felt amazing. At this point I was walking and jogging whenever I felt the urge. My GPS sounded off the 9 mile mark and I laughed at how much further I still had to go at this pace. Yes I laughed – at this point I was totally fine with how my day was going. No one ever wants to have a bad race but once it goes wrong there is nothing left to do but chalk it up as another learning experience! My finishing time was over 15 minutes slower than last year. That’s over a minute per mile slower! OOF!

Not a total loss though because I finished the race (in 5th place), I got to enjoy the company of some awesome runners, and you better believe I still had that post-race meal at The Red Fern – rainbow sprinkle donut sundae and all 🙂 And it snapped me back into race mode – or more importantly race preparation mode. With Escarpment coming up this weekend you better believe I am prepping for heat and humidity!

Thanks again to Eric Eagan and the #TrailsRoc crew for inviting me and hosting a top-notch event! If you are not familiar with this group – check them out! They are a non-profit organization promoting trail running, maintenance and preservation. The proceeds from their events support the maintenance of trails and their conservation efforts – a worthy cause to all of us.

Website
Facebook
Twitter

And of course…here’s your race video to learn more about the group and the event!

“The Vegans” take over Cape Cod

Posted on May 22, 2015 by lljkline

Ragnar Cape Cod – May 8th and 9th 2015. What an experience! You would think that being stuck in a van with 6 other people for so many hours without sleep would feel like a never-ending endeavor. It never is. It always flies by in a flash and once we all part ways to go back to our everyday lives we wonder why it had to come to an end so soon. We wish we could be back in that van – in desperate need of a shower, a wholesome hot meal, our beds… just because the experience is so positive, motivating and downright fun. Some of us show up to this event as absolute strangers but we leave as close friends. We’ve shared a powerful experience and although we may all come from different backgrounds we share 2 common passions – running and promoting ethical veganism to both our supporters and the naysayers. And I’d say we do a damn good job at both!

Let’s start with the obvious reasons why this Ragnar event took our cause to a new level of awesome:

36 vegan runners from 8 different states
6 vegan drivers
raising over $2,000 for our beneficiary, Tamerlaine Farm
support from generous vegan sponsors – Strong Hearts Café, Herbivore Clothing, UGo Bars, Teese, Terri, Tofurkey, Our Hen House, Vegan Cuts, Magic Vegan Bacon Grease, Vega, Earth Balance, Princeton Tec
our own film crew Strongest Hearts documenting our journey (video coming soon…)

We wanted to take over the Cape and we succeeded! There were plenty of comments about how we were everywhere. “How many of you are there?” Our shirts are bold, our attitudes positive and our message clear – anything you can do we can do vegan!

We did have a goal going into this event. Out of the 3 teams we created Team A to include the fastest runners of our group. We wanted to win. The A Team was the last to start – at 1 pm on Friday. In our ~22 hours on the course we passed a LOT of teams – all getting the view of the back of our shirts:
Mission accomplished! Out of 332 Mixed Open (co-ed) teams we were 1st Overall! 3rd overall out of 456 12-person teams, and 4th overall out of 512 total teams (including the ultra teams). As co-captain Scott Spitz pointed out in regards to the team who has the fastest finishing time, “the team consisted of college kids who were not running with the accumulated emotional baggage of divorce, kids, unemployment, employment, etc….so factor in that manner of “life grading”…and we basically won.” 🙂

A Team – Top Row from Left: Scott Gilroy, Suzie Constantin, Jeremy Ritz-Totten, Adrian Centoni, Ian Sherlock, Clifford Dean, Sean Scott, Mike Pease, Chris Cooney. Bottom Row from left: Micah Risk, Scott Spitz, Laura Kline, Aaron Zellhoefer, Christine Tylee

B Team – Top Row from left: Peter Guarino, Jonny Hero, Scott Barras, Jonathan Auyer, Skott Daltonic, Jason Young, Martin Rowe. Middle Row from left: Laura Ryan, Kaitlin Long, Dana Portnoy, Meghann Wilson. Bottom Row from left: Sheila Bailey, Becca Wellner, Stephanie Crumley.

C Team – Top Row from left: Laura Gardner, Michael Harren, Scott Henderson, Julie Henderson, Joel Capolongo, Peter Nussbaum, Kendra Murphy, Kate Paice-Froio. Bottom Row from left: Summer Keown, Carrie Hineline, Alicia Ford, Jasmin Singer, Melissa Centoni, Molly Wason.

What about the running? Well, I barely remember that part 😉 A whole lot of work was put into making this event happen, and I’ve never been so exhausted before the Ragnar even started! Once we all converged at the Whole Foods in Hingham, MA – the chaos began! Organizing 42 people, tons of food, race gear, binders, etc. into 6 assigned vans was quite the task. It basically looked like a party erupted in that parking lot before the store even opened, and it wasn’t long before the manager of Whole Foods came outside to check it out. He was super-cool and supportive of our efforts, and minutes later emerged with a shopping cart full of cases of water to donate to our cause.

Thank you Whole Foods!

We all made it to the start line with just enough time to get C Team ready for the first start, and our awesome team photo (in the sponsor picture above). One by one each of our 3 teams set off to run 192 miles from Hull to Provincetown, MA. We would only see each other again for a brief time at one of the major exchanges when we all caught up to one another.

Coming into the exchange after my first leg

The real fun started as each of our teams reached the finish line. We were finally able to see everyone again and do some relaxing now that our journey was coming to an end. As each team arrived, we all ran through the finish chute together. It was quite a sight when Team C finished – all 42 of us, and even a few of our awesome vegan volunteers – storming the finish line with the announcer saying “Here come the vegans, surrounded by butterflies. Everyone loves the vegans!”

We placed our mark on the Ragnar Wall before heading out to our meet-up spot to celebrate and hand out awards.

It’s difficult to sum up how awesome this opportunity is for us. We all see the tide turning as more and more people are not only accepting, but praising and seeking information about veganism. One of the greatest things we do at Ragnar (beyond our awesome running) is talk to people. Runners, volunteers, even residents of the towns we pass through see our shirts, our smiling faces, and the fun that we are having. We are often approached by people who want to know more – they want to learn about our cause, why we choose veganism, what we eat. All of our teammates are happy to share our experiences and that is what this is all about. Other vegan runners are excited to see us – they come up and thank us for doing what we’re doing and ask how they can be a part of it.

We rarely hear negative comments or even the ever-so-popular “I love bacon!” Mainly we hear “Go VEGAN!” and “damn those vegans are fast!” I’ll wrap this up with a bit of humor – here are 2 exchanges I learned about through other teammates:

At C Team’s start line:
Announcer: “And here they are with their healthy diet – Vegan Power!”
Skott Daltonic: “It’s more than just a diet man, it’s a lifestyle. Also have you seen me at a vegan bakery before?”

In the shuttle parking lot on the way to the finish line:
A burly member of Team Taekwondo: “If you want to perform like a bull, you have to eat like a bull!”
Alicia Ford: “Yeah but bulls eat grass.”
Burly dude: “Damn, and you are smarter than me too!”

Oh how I love this team!

One last note – we are currently fielding teams for the Ragnar Adirondacks on September 25th and 26th. If you are a vegan runner who wants to be a part of something amazing, please get in touch! If you are a vegan who doesn’t love running, we’re going to need drivers too! We had 6 awesome drivers who were so inspired by this event – they will all be running the next one! Check out our website and our Facebook fan page to keep up-to-date with what we are doing!

And last…check out this awesome video that Chris Cooney, of The Vegan Zombie fame, made during the last few hours of Team A Van 2’s race.

(that’s right, there’s not just 1, but 2 Runners World cover models in this video!)

STRONG HEARTS TO THE FRONT!

First Race of 2015 – Syracuse Half Marathon

Posted on March 28, 2015 by lljkline

That title sounds so exciting, but unfortunately my performance was not 😉 But hey – you gotta get that first race of the season out of the way! So why not do it surrounded by some of your greatest friends – who both shared the race course with you and stood on the sidelines in less than ideal weather to support the team. Although I wasn’t thrilled with my race I wasn’t down about it because I knew this race was going to be a test of my fitness. I’ve been a hermit this winter – enduring most of my miles on the treadmill. I have only done one speed work session outside. And craziest of all – I haven’t raced on the road since…gulp…the beginning of September! And that was a 5k. This race would be interesting…

Last year I found myself ill-prepared for the race conditions after traveling to Syracuse with only my racing flats that have zero tread on them. The slick, snow-covered roads did not agree with my attempts to run hard. Instead I opted to have one amazing race experience by running with one of my dearest friends Kate. You may remember our finishing shot – I know I sure do – I love this photo of shared friendship!
However this year I came prepared. And true to Syracuse fashion I awoke Sunday morning to look outside and see a fresh blanket of snow. It wasn’t nearly as daunting as usual – maybe I’m just used to waking up at Marc and Amy’s on race morning, taking a look outside, and contemplating throwing the covers back over my head to sleep right through the race. I also think that my mental state going into this race was “no expectations”. I set out to pick up my teammate Jeremy on the way downtown and it started as a slow drive on the slippery back roads. Soon enough the sun came out and it looked to be an awesome day ahead. The only other challenge was to survive the cold – the temps were in the teens and the wind chill took a good 10 degrees off that. But hey, I had my inov-8 Trailroc 150’s this year so I knew the terrain wouldn’t be an issue.

I was happy we arrived early because the Oncenter was jam packed. Bathroom lines were an issue as well as simply navigating through the building. Luckily they announced a 15 minute delay but unfortunately it wasn’t enough time to get the full Strong Hearts Run Club/Strong Hearts Vegan Power team into the group shot 😦 So here we are in two parts.

Ray, Jeremy, Joel, Peter, Sean, Suzie and I

Carrie, Julie & Scott

It was time to step outside and I had no time for a warm-up. I’ve gotten used to skipping my warm up for trail and ultra races, so I didn’t stress too much about this. But damn it was cold! The sunshine helped but I was ready to get started. The gun went off and what do ya know – I wasn’t slipping! I feel like I had a smile on my face because this race was already an improvement over last year. 2 girls led the charge and I simply concerned myself with settling in to a comfortable pace. I did not think that winning was on the table today, so I did not pressure myself to go too hard or chase anyone down.

When I hit the first mile I wasn’t happy with my split, but I also wasn’t surprised. To put a positive twist on it I convinced myself that maybe all of this ultra running has taught me to pace better. Perhaps I was going to ease into this race and get faster as I go. Well I was wrong there, but it was a good practice in positive mental attitude 🙂 I was able to pass the girl who was in 2nd place early on, but the leader was far ahead and there was no chance of me gaining ground on her. At mile 3 a spectator told me she was 400 meters ahead and although I always appreciate receiving feedback like that, I knew it wasn’t going to make me go any faster. There was a definite highlight of this race – passing one of the female traffic enforcers she simply said to me “Go kick those guys’ asses.” It was very blunt – no excitement in her voice – it made me laugh 🙂

The course was in great shape considering the prior day’s weather – thanks to the race crew who spent the morning salting for us! Although my pace was slower than I would have liked to my surprise I was staying consistent. At some point past the halfway mark I could hear that there was another girl closing in on me. When she made her pass I offered her words of encouragement – she was looking strong! One blatant error I made was opting not to take in nutrition. I normally would during a half. I was wearing my super-bulky-warm gloves and my gel was zipped into my back pocket. The thought of taking off a glove to get it seemed way too challenging. I justified this by deciding it would be a glycogen-depleting run. However I don’t think you should practice this during a race 🙂 Honestly I don’t think it hurt me – it was lack of fitness that got me that day – plain and simple.

Within the last 2 miles another girl passed me. Coming into the last mile I thought I may be able to catch her but I didn’t put in any effort to do so. I simply maintained. I picked the spot where I would kick and when I arrived decided I didn’t have it in me to kick yet. I picked the next spot, and again realized it wasn’t there. I wasn’t passing anyone, and I surely wasn’t anywhere near a PR, so I finished my race satisfied with my effort for the day. I don’t think I left it all out there, but anytime I thought I should try to go harder I kept the thought of this weekend’s marathon in the back of my mind.

Hitting the finish line. Strong Hearts to the front! Photo credit: Kendra Murphy

I finished in 1:26:47 – minutes away from my PR but I will take it for an early season race in cold weather. I was the 4th overall female and placed 1st in the 35-39 Age Group. It always feels great to be back out on the race course and today was no different! Now I have a better idea of where I stand fitness-wise and it’s time to build off that.

All of the Strong Hearts crew had a great race in less-than-ideal conditions. A special shout-out to Suzie who completed her first half marathon! She’s been training hard for this day and she killed it! #strongheartsrun #tothefront

Joel finishing with Suzie Photo Credit: Thad Jackson

BIG developments for Strong Hearts Vegan Power

Posted on March 14, 2015 by lljkline

You may have seen my previous posts about Strong Hearts Vegan Power. You may have also seen the countless pictures I’ve posted on various social media sites. I think it’s obvious that I love this team and everything it stands for. Over the past 2 years I have made many lifetime friends and enjoyed awesome adventures with my teammates. We’ve spread the positive word about veganism and have gained a lot of recognition and attention as we show that we’re not only compassionate, driven individuals – we also thrive athletically. So you can only imagine how awesome it is to see our network grow. Here is an update as to what we’re doing right now.

The Race
The first race for Strong Hearts Vegan Power this year will be the Ragnar Cape Cod on May 7-8. We will run from Hull to Provincetown, MA – covering 190 beautiful miles along the Cape Cod Coast. We decided to step it up a bit for this event – instead of 1 team of 12 vegan runners, we now have 3 teams. That’s right – 36 vegan runners from 9 states will be out on the course!

This has obviously outgrown my ability to introduce them all to you in this blog, so we now have a website where you can meet the teammates!

The Cause
We have a great time when we join forces – teammates who share a passion for veganism, running, and let’s face it – the awesome vegan food. We love promoting our cause – we receive countless “GO VEGAN” cheers and comments from runners and spectators wherever we race. Many people come up to us to ask us about our diet & lifestyle, and we love to share. This has all been great – but we want to do more.
In 2015 we are racing to raise money for and promote our teammate’s budding sanctuary, Tamerlaine Farm. Peter Nussbaum joined the inaugural Strong Hearts Vegan Power team in 2013. At that time he and his wife Gab (who was also the best personal Ragnar chef a team could ever dream of) had rescued 2 roosters, Yuri & Jupiter, followed by 19 ex-battery hens from CA who were about to be gassed. Their bodies are ravaged from the life they were forced to live in a factory farm, and they were lucky to have moved to the beautiful sanctuary where they could experience their first feel of grass and sunshine!

Since then they have rescued 56 chicken from the kaporos ritual. “These hens and roosters are amazingly affectionate, smart, full of personality and generally awesome, but they are genetically fucked with by the poultry industry to grow obscenely and rapidly large, resulting in tremendous health issues. We are giving them love and care and they are really flourishing. A bunch of them live in the infirmary and receive rehab, medical care and tlc.”

Tamerlaine Farm also has 2 other hens that were rescued from the streets of Brooklyn. Lisa, a brown layer hen was found under a car. She probably escaped from a live market or backyard operation. She is now doing great! “Brooklyn” was also found in an industrial part of Brooklyn. She lives with the kaporos boys and girls and is also doing great. Their latest addition is 19 chicks from a NYC public school hatching project gone bad. What does a school do with 19 chicks that hatched for a “project”? Throw them away. Luckily Tamerlane Farm was contacted and offered to provide a home for these sweet babies. They joined the growing flock when they were only 3 days old. They have been living inside through the winter and will move into their brand new barn once they are big enough. They have also adopted three additional roosters (roosters are generally harder to place) and they are happy to give them a good home.

“Speaking of roosters, as you know Yuri and Jupiter are our boys. They come into the house for breakfast every morning with Tonka and Lola. I am smitten with those two boys. Can’t get enough of them. Every time I am away from the farm I can’t wait to get back to hang with those two (and all of the others).”

Breakfast with Yuri, Jupiter, Tonka & Lola

Peter sharing breakfast once again

We are very excited to promote and support the expansion efforts that Peter and Gab are pouring into their sanctuary. They now have two full-time animal care givers living at the farm. Maddie is an actress/writer/animal rights activist who left her apartment in Brooklyn to live and work on the farm with her 3 bunnies – all wonderful additions. Hannah also signed on fresh off an internship at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. They also have a number of interns and volunteers based in NYC helping with social media, fundraising, non-profit issues, and their hot sauce business. “Things are really starting to take shape and we have never been happier. Tons of hard work, but the reward is really greater than I could have ever possibly imagined. The next phase is to bring in other types of animals – sheep, pigs, etc. We are taking it slow but feel that we will be ready for that next step very soon – especially with the continuing support from our amazing friends and the animal rights community as a whole.”

Check out:
Tamerlaine Farm’s website
Tamerlaine Farm’s Facebook page
Tamerlaine Farm’s Instagram

Learn more about what they do for the animals, what you can do to get involved and/or donate, and to look at some sweet pictures of beautiful feathered friends!

Sponsors & Supporters
Also new this year – thanks to the efforts of Scott Spitz we have some generous sponsors on board. Not only have the sponsors donated either funds or product to the team for the weekend, they also matched this with a monetary donation to Tamerlaine Farm.

Our namesake, Strong Hearts Café, is also our title sponsor. They have been rocking the world with their delicious vegan creations for almost 7 years. People flock from near and far to experience the magic. I’m dreaming of the day where they stock a food truck and follow us on our Ragnar adventures… 🙂

Our supporting sponsors include:

Chicago Vegan Foods – Dandies marshmallows, Temptation Ice Cream, Teese Cheese – need I say more?!?
UGO Bars – handcrafted, fresh, vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO snack bars. Fuel for our runs!
Herbivore Clothing – fashionable, witty, and ethically made animals-rights clothing. Also check out their online store for wallets, bags, books, jewelry, art, kitchen ware, and much more.
Terri – more delicious and nutritious, organic vegan super foods with locations in NYC.
Vegan Cuts – they find the very best vegan food, beauty and fashion products and send them to you through their online marketplace, monthly subscription boxes, and special edition boxes.
Our Hen House – Using video, audio, interviews, reviews, and the written word, they provide daily updates on what you need to create change for animals.
Magic Vegan Bacon Grease – Non-GMO, non-hydrogenated, cholesterol friendly vegan multi-tool for frying, cooking, or baking. Smoky, rich, bacony, and inexplicably vegan all at the same time.
Tofurkey – a health, sustainable, passionate company producing tons of delicious meat-free alternatives.

I know what you’re thinking, we’re a pretty big deal…
And yet there’s more! Our friends, who just so happen to have a very similar name, Strongest Hearts will be joining us in Cape Cod to conduct some interviews and film some of the awesomeness that will unfold.

Check out their web series on vegan athletes and the resources they provide for vegan athlete nutrition.

I can’t wait to meet all of my new teammates in May as we share and create new memories together. Each Ragnar event with Team Strong Hearts Vegan Power has been epic – this time it will be x3!

YOU could be part of this – post run dinner out of the Suburban! Don’t run? Drive a van 🙂

We are still looking for a few dedicated van drivers. If you are vegan, enjoy driving endless hours without sleeping, maneuvering a large van around large groups of people, and enjoy the sweet smell of 6 sweaty runners – this job is for you! Oh there are more perks – you will laugh, you will cry, you will enjoy some delicious vegan foods, and you will be a part of something amazing all while making new friends. Oh, and you’ll even get a sweet hoodie! Cha-ching! Get in touch with me if you are interested.
Otherwise, feel free to follow us on our adventure. We have our website, our new Facebook page, and we use #strongheartsrun to tag our pictures. We can’t wait to share our fun moments with you all!