Kelly Trepp, Author

Every year since we moved down to our little corner of the earth, Hubby and I have run the Leatherneck 5K to benefit the Semper Fi Fund to support injured Marines. If you have the time to click that link, you will learn that the Semper Fi Fund is an amazing foundation and you will see why we run each year. This year, I made it a goal to set a new personal record on the course. I also privately set the goal of placing in this race; Not necessarily this year, but at some point in my lifetime. Going into this weekend, I had no idea, and even doubted, that this year I would achieve both goals. The Leatherneck 5K is a smaller race; nothing compared to the tens of thousands of people I ran with at the Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon series back in March. The draw for the race is the cause and the beautiful scenery. The 3.1 mile course begins at one of the finest Naval golf courses in the nation and wraps down and back along the Chesapeake Bay. Many of the runners are active duty ...

I'm not sure that when I initially got the idea to begin training for the USA Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and subsequently registered for the race as a birthday gift to myself, I had any plan for what comes next. There was a time that I considered the Marine Corps Marathon as the next logical step, but if you know me, I have lots of dreams and little follow through. I had the registration form filled out before the race sold out and decided to let that one slide, as there are a lot of things going on in my life right now that might keep me from having time for the appropriate training. I did not want to take the spot of someone who could fully commit themselves to the challenge. Now there's a graceful excuse reason if I ever heard one. Over the last few days, I have taken some time to peruse my options and apply an appropriate training schedule. These are the events I have already registered for coming up: Sole of the City 10K April 21 10K (or 6.2 miles) is ...

Photo Courtesy of Rock 'n' Roll USA on Facebook As most of you know, I completed my first half marathon this past weekend. I took my place alongside 30,000 runners to race through the streets of DC in the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll USA 1/2 Marathon & Marathon . I cannot describe the emotions I felt after crossing the finish line sufficiently for you to understand unless you have done it before yourself. There were waves of accomplishment, regret, relief, disappointment, satisfaction, and a strong urge to do it all over again. Let us begin at the beginning... My sister woke up at the crack of dawn to meet us at the hotel in Largo, just outside DC. We chose Largo for three reasons: 1) cheaper than staying in the city; 2) only a few stops away from the Stadium/Armory stop on the Blue Line of the Metro where the race began and finished; 3) less people would be going our way on the Metro after the race. That third reason was pretty key in planning our escape after th...

And just like that, my running goals for 2012 got 6.2 miles longer, or 10K to be exact. A special thanks to my blogging friend Susanne over at Shoulda Ran Faster , for telling me about the Sole of the City 10K . Sponsored by Under Armour, Charm City Run and The Green Turtle, it is a great feeling to be running a local race for local companies. If you could not tell from my last post, I LOVE Under Armour gear, so the cherry on this sundae is the race premium: A Black Under Armour Escape Lightweight Quarter Zip. And to throw some sprinkles on that sundae, the hubster has agreed to sign up and run with me. I was able to convince him that he had come darn close to completing the 10K distance on our last long run and he should be proud of his accomplishments and take this act on the road. As I have said before, I have high hopes for 2012. So far, it is living up to my expectations. Life is what you make of it, and I am taking it one mile at a time.