making lemonade and my first virtual race

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from the GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler, the race I am running on Sunday.  It stated that in the unlikely event that Congress would still be out on the budget, our race would have to be postponed to May 1st.  Honestly, I read it and didn’t think twice about it.  In my mind there was NO way it would come to that – that would be ridiculous!! – so why let it irk me?  All week this week I have heard that it looks like the budget will not be passed by the end of the night tonight and that most likely there will be a shutdown of non-essential personnel, hence my race will be canceled.  I have been in denial.  I can’t get over the ineptitude of our Congress.  It baffles me.  There are people who depend on their paychecks who will not be getting paid, for goodness’ sake!  This is a blog about running though, not politics, so I will not bore you with my opinions on the matter.

The point is that my race is most likely not being held on Sunday.  When I accepted this, I was initially pretty bummed.  But then I decided that I would of course run the 10 miles anyway.  It is my 35th birthday and I am celebrating with the longest run since having my baby two months ago, gosh darnit!!  I have worked HARD to get ready for this.  My running buddies are in and we are going to make it our own 10 mile race right here in Reston.  My amazing friend Dorothy suggested that I make it a virtual race and have Abby make us finishers’ medals.  Abby could not be more proud or excited to do this.  So, now I have gone from feeling totally annoyed and disappointed to being very excited about the change of plans!!

When you’ve got lemons, make lemonade.

I have never done a “virtual race” before, much less so last minute.  I’m going to have my route meander along my favorite trails in Reston, and the start and finish will be right by my house so my family can see us off and cheer for us at the finish.  I also want to come up with a name for the race.  I’m feeling inspired by the idea of taking negatives and turning them into positives – working with what you’ve got to make a disappointment into a celebration.  So, right now I’m thinking of calling it the “Lemonade Run.”  Since I am operating on very little sleep with my newborn and my brain is made of mush, that is the best I can come up with right now so I will go with it!

Were you planning to run the GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler this weekend, or another race that is possibly being postponed or canceled because of the federal government?  Do you have a long run planned this weekend and want to jazz it up a little, give it a little more meaning?  Have you found yourself feeling down and pessimistic lately?  If so, I would love to invite you to be a part of my first ever Lemonade Run.  Sunday morning get out there and make the most of it.  Have fun.  Put your shoes on and move.  Even if the race does not get canceled, I am going to make it a Lemonade Run.  I am going to focus on turning the bad to good, the loss to gain, the without to the with.  I am going to turn the negatives into positives for myself and encourage you to do the same.

I have spent the last several weeks trying so hard to regain my strength and fitness after having a baby.  It has been tough and I am still working at it, but I made it to the start line ready to complete 10 miles.  I am not going to let a canceled race ruin my plans to celebrate.  Don’t let disappointments get you down – make the most of it and you may find that the result is even better than the thing you were hoping for in the first place.  Go for a Lemonade Run!