#megsmiles Half-Marathon

If you are a runner, you've probably seen something on Facebook or Twitter about #megsmiles. If not, here's some information about #megmiles:
    

Meg Cross Menzies was tragically killed by a drunk driver while out for her morning run on January 13, 2014. As an avid runner, member of the Richmond Road Runners Club, and Boston marathoner, she was a member of the running family nationwide. In her honor, our hope is to raise awareness of drunk driving, texting and driving, and overall safety of runners and cyclists everywhere. This Saturday, January 18, 2014, no matter what your distance, no matter where you live, run for Meg. Take in the fresh air, be... aware of your surroundings, keep your headphones on low, feel the heaviness in your lungs, the soreness in your legs, and be grateful for it--for all of it. The sweat, the pain, the wind, the cold…everything. Be grateful for that moment. Feel free to post pictures of yourself pre-run or post-run, post your distance, post your thoughts, prayers, condolences with the hashtag #megsmiles. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. Let all runners unite together and remember the loss of a beautiful spirit. It's not a coincidence the hashtag reads either "Meg's Miles" or "Meg Smiles." She will be smiling on all of us forevermore. I usually dedicate my runs to a special little girl named Bella. We were matched through this great non-profit organization called whoirun4. Bella after receiving Bob Marley's book Every Little Thing that I sent her. The shoe bling I sent Bella to let her know I'm on her side! So not only did I dedicate yesterday's long run to Bella, but I also dedicated it to Meg & her family.  I ran 13.1 miles! I called it #megsmiles Half-Marathon. Here's my run according to my Garmin:

#megsmiles Half-Marathon by nikerunner75 at Garmin Connect - Details

My running buddy, Ruthie, joined me for 11 miles (more than I expected her to)...this has been her longest run since running the Rocket City Marathon last month. We ran a route we haven't run in a while...old Highway 64 to the landfill (ah, the smells...actually I don't notice it when it's this cold) & the grounds of the mental institution. The route was pretty hilly, or hillier than what I've been running. It was cold & the wind began picking up. We had about 5 little, yappy dogs run out into the highway chasing us...Ruthie called it "Attack of the Little Dogs". It was a little busier on this old highway than I expected, for the time of morning.

On this run, it got me to thinking about what happened to Meg & more about safety. Here are some things I try to do to stay safe:

• run with friends
• wear reflective clothing/items
• wear a headlamp on early runs (recent Christmas gift)
• wear only one earbud when listening to ipod
• run with some form of ID (I wear a RoadID bracelet)
• run with a phone (I never did this until I recently won a FlipBelt)
• run against the flow of traffic & assume cars don't see you

I wear these magnetic reflective Amphipod Vizlets...one on the front of my shirt & one on the back.

Here's the FlipBelt I recently won. The people that came up with this little creation are GENIUSES!

As you can see, it can hold your energy gels. It has 2 openings in the front & 2 in the back.

It might look a little bulky under your clothing, but it DOESN'T FLOP!

My RoadID bracelet. I had to add some new bling...IRUN4BELLA, 13.1, & #RunChat charms.

This was a Christmas gift from my dad...he worries about me running at 5am.

It's pretty bright!

One more long-ish run (8 miles) next weekend, then the following weekend will be the Rock N Roll New Orleans Half! I'm ready to run this! I feel like I've been in training forever, since the St. Jude was canceled.

Get your run on & be safe out there!