The newest edition of the Outside The Box blog series highlights EDCF member Kristin Waller’s goal she set out to meet in January of 2014. Kristin made a commitment to herself after the turn of the New Year to run 39 different races in celebration of her 39th birthday! We take a deeper look into her incredible achievement.
When did you decide to start on this goal? I decided to start on this goal, December 2013.
What prompted you to start? We were about to embark on a new year (2014)and I thought instead of a resolution that I ultimately wouldn’t keep, I would come up with a challenge that would keep me moving in the right direction. I knew if I made my challenge public, I wouldn’t give up like I normally do with any resolution! I chose 39 races to celebrate my 39th birthday and to cap off my dirty thirties in a healthy way. I thought it was a good way to gracefully exit this decade of my life.
What was the hardest race? My hardest race was the Cowtown Half. I struggled through the whole race. I couldn’t figure out why I felt so tired..by mile 6 I started to walk and really struggled to finish. Later that night, I was sick and at the doctors with strep throat….
What race was the most fun? This is a tough question, I have so many! I will give you my top two….
– Santa Fe 5k….This is always a favorite race because I get to run with my EDCF family. I love the race, the fellowship and the shenanigans afterwards. Plus there was free local beer 🙂
– Rise and Shine 5k…This race benefited the Dallas Rise School which specializes in providing the highest quality of early childhood education services to children with Downs Syndrome or other developmental disabilities. The kids made this race so special. They were so excited to cross the finish line and get their medals.They made running in the middle of the day, in the heat well worth it!
Anything else you wish to add? We wanna know! I didn’t make any resolutions for 2015 but I did make another challenge….This year I challenged myself to become more of a CrossFit athlete. I will still run and participate in races but I want to focus more on CrossFit, getting stronger, leaner and hitting personal goals like pull-ups without bands and double unders.
39 races was fun, challenging and expensive but I am SO glad that I did it, I feel like I am a runner, still a slow runner but a runner none the less. This challenge taught me that I can do anything I set my mind to, it taught me not to give up and to believe more in myself and my physical ability.
On a personal note, I received so much support throughout this challenge from everyone at EDCF! I am SO thankful for this community!
Check out the full list of Kristin’s 39 races HERE.
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Outside The Box is an EDCF blog series dedicated to showcasing member achievements outside of the gym.