Cancer Hater

Happy Weekend!

For those of you who do not know, I got involved with the Massey Challenge at the very beginning of this year due to a high school classmate's great blog, Still Easier Than Chemo. I raised money on behalf of her team for my run in the Monument 10k last spring, but since then I have become even more involved. 

More than just attending events, now I am on the events committee for Massey to help raise money and plan fundraisers for the organization. This has been a great and rewarding way to get involved in an organization that is a big part of my community and goes to a cause I believe worthy of my time (and yours)! There are many great people involved on the volunteering side, and it has been fun to see a different side of Richmond and the people that support Massey.

In addition to my work behind the scenes, I also joined the same team again for this years Monument 10k, and I need your help! Cancer affects EVERYONE, so what better cause to give some of your time or money to? If everyone who reads this donated $5-10, I would easily surpass my $1,000 goal. I may even do something crazy if I get to my goal....I am not going to shave my head or anything, but I can definitely do something. Maybe run the 10K in a crazy outfit. I will think about it and feel free to share your ideas:)

Pass this information along to your friends and join or donate to my team! Let's put cancer on the run! And for those of you in Richmond, be sure to check out some of Massey's events this month on their facebook page. More details about the event I lined up in November coming soon:)

Average

I saw this commercial while watching TV last night, and I loved its message (minus the GNC part, though if this gets you to buy some GNC supplements, then go ahead):

Part of my new year's resolution this year was to get out of being "average." I want more to my life than work and friends and exercise and fun, I want it to mean more than just the day to day routine. I wanted to devote more of my time to helping out organizations that I am passionate about and to give back to my community. Since I have been in the working world for almost 4 years, I know what my schedule is like and how much time I can realistically volunteer, and the truth is, I think everyone has time to give back. It just needs to be a priority. Yes, you want to spend time with your friends and family; yes, you want to work out; yes, you want to be able to catch your favorite shows, but that still leaves time to give back.

The hardest part for me was finding an organization that I was really passionate about. I didn't want to volunteer just to, I wanted to do it because I truly cared about the cause. So far this year, I have been involved in two causes, RVA Earth Day, which benefits FeedMore, and the VCU Massey Challenge, which was a specific part of fundraising through the Monument 10k for the VCU Massey Cancer Center. While I enjoyed recruiting volunteers and helping out during the festival for Earth Day, the Massey Alliance is the committee that I want to continue to devote my time to. I like that it is a local organization but stands for a cause everyone can relate to- the fight against cancer. There are events throughout the year that Massey sponsors and needs volunteers for, so I will be doing that as the events come to fruition. I also volunteered at the Food Bank through the UVA Club of Richmond and am continuously looking for other opportunities through that group and through my school-based community (I helped out at an event this Saturday hosted at my old school for the Children's Hospital). It has been fun meeting new people through volunteering and learning more about the causes!

So this is what I am doing to become a little more than just the average joe going about my daily life. I think it is always good to give back and do more for yourself and your community if you are able.

What do you do to be more than "average?"

Shamrockin'

Hi friends!

Running makes me so HUNGRY!:)

Damn you Instagram and my new job for keeping my blogging scant this month! I will try to change this.

I have my 3rd half marathon this weekend- the Virginia Beach Shamrock Half! I am leaving tomorrow to go to Virginia Beach to stay with my friend, Nicole, her husband, Daniel, and cute baby Andrew. Wish me luck! Training has been good, and I feel good. I really should have gotten new shoes before this race, so I am having some slight aches from my old shoes, but I should be ok for the race. I don't expect a PR since I did so well in November (honestly, I don't know how I pulled that off), but I hope to beat my time from this same race last year. All depends on the weather and how I feel day of. Looking to be in the 40's and breezy but a very flat course along the ocean:)!

Besides adjusting to this awful daylight savings schedule (for those of us who get up at 6 AM, being dark until after 7 AM is not ok), I have begun volunteering for two organizations (YAY FOR COMPLETING MY NEW YEARS RESOLUTION!). I am an ambassador (aka volunteer coordinator) for RVA Earth Day on April 26th (an all day festival benefiting FeedRVA, a non profit organization for food education). This involves recruitment and overseeing the event on the day. I also have taken a more active role in VCU Massey Cancer Center. I am running in honor of the center for the Monument 10k and am also manning a booth during the race expo. I met the volunteer coordinator and am now on her list serve, so I expect even more events to come:). I am enjoying getting more involved.

So that is it for now. Race recap to come!

Hands On Richmond

Hello and Happy Weekend-ing!

I am sad it is already Sunday but wanted to share with you a fun event I participated in yesterday.

Friday night was homecoming at my school, so after a fun day at work (including a pep rally), I worked the football game with a bunch of coworkers and got to enjoy a little bit of time out at a new bar in the Richmond area, Viceroy. Due to my early morning on Saturday, I kept my socializing light and was home and in bed by 11:30.

Coworkers loving a little school spirit at the pep rally!

Yesterday morning, after a quick 3 mile run (I find that the day after I have a lot of carbs, it feels really good to run), I volunteered at "Hands on Richmond" day from 9-1 with a team of friends at The Virginia Home, a home for adults with physical disabilities. This day is a city-wide day of supporting local organizations through volunteering. The place my group was assigned is located along the beautiful lakes at Byrd Park. While there, we worked on creating a garden for the residents that they can access with wheelchairs. We pulled weeds, raked, trimmed and cleared plants (I worked out a lot of aggression with garden sheers!), and built a raised garden bed (the boys did that, let's be honest).

The team bright and early, ready to go!

Outside in the garden area with one of the residents.

It was very nice to give back to the community in a city-wide event and learn about The Virginia Home. It is a great facility doing a lot of good for it's residents.

The day also involved food and booze for the volunteers afterwards at Hardywood, a local brewery that hosted the "after-party" for everyone. My group ate tacos at a food truck and got to enjoy Ukrops cupcakes and Starbucks treats from sponsors! I ran into many other friends there and even met two current and former NBC12 anchors, which are like my version of local celebrities.

To cap off a very "Richmond Community" weekend, I then ventured to Ellwood Thompsons local grocery with some friends to become even more educated on keeping my eating and kitchen clean to hopefully stabilize this crazy mood I have been in this week! And then I watched Ohio State win and Florida State crush Clemson with some friends. Can't end the day in a more American way, right?

This morning, after an almost 10-hour slumber, I appreciated the beauty of Richmond with a 5 mile run. It doesn't get much better than Richmond on a fall morning, especially knowing I helped our community yesterday.

I hope you were able to give back some this weekend, and if you didn't, be sure to look for local events coming up in your own community!