Run to Catch the Rain

I went for a run today in the middle of the day.  I don't usually do that.  I'm fond of running in the early hours of a brand new day.  Often greeting the sun as it peeks over the horizon, as I'm running up some ghastly hill or another.  In the summer time, it's the best time because it's cool outside.  Today I decided to step out of that box and do something different.  I'm running in a race for a great cause at the end of this month, and I'll address that in a minute.  I wanted to get used to the warmer temperatures because my race is in California, and it's a tad warmer there than here in the Northwest.

Today, even though it was warmer than I'm used to, it felt good to run.  Running to me has always felt very free.  It doesn't take a lot of equipment although I'm usually all tricked out, with my shoes that talk to my wrist band, and tells it how far I've run, how many calories I've burned and what my average pace is (today it was 11:31- not bad for this old gal), and of course my trusty iPhone in case I should keel over mid run, at least who ever might find me would know it was me since all of my id and info is in my phone.  I admit it, my name is Wendi and I'm a gadget-a-holic...back to the subject at hand.  Running for me has always been time for me to collect my thoughts, go over schedules, talk to God or whatever.  Today I thought about who and what I was running this race for.

I decided when I started my "journey" back in October, everything I did I was going to do for a reason.  Running is no exception.  My friend Eric, who has a blog about volunteering and giving back discovered an app for donating miles to charity.  He's running for the Michael J. Fox Foundation to find a cure for Parkinson's disease.  My mission is a little more basic.  While on my run I carried a bottle of clean cold water to drink.  It's something that most of us take for granted.  Clean drinking water.  The race that I'm running in at the end of this month is a charity race.  It's one man's attempt to making life better for some vulnerable people in Ghana, West Africa by helping them to build a rainwater catchment system so they can collect rainwater for drinking and watering crops. Without clean water, children and adults become sick, they can't grow crops and be self sufficient.  It seems so easy.  It rains in Africa.  It rains really hard.  Imagine being able to collect that rain and use it for good!  The race is called "Run to Catch the Rain" and it benefits Point Hope and their mission of providing a better life for the orphans and other vulnerable people in Ghana West Africa.  They are building a self sustaining village and they need a rainwater catchment system for drinking water and for watering their crops on the village farm.  How cool is that?  We are so lucky in this country.  We have all the water we need.

My team for the race is Sammy's Striders in honor of my friend Delilah's son Sammy.  Sammy was an incredible young man and you can read more about him and the mission of Point Hope and Run to Catch the Rain and how you can make a difference in the lives of those who desperately need our help.  Click on the link PointHope.org and help me help them make a difference!  Peace.