Monday, November 07, 2011

Injuries & Opportunities: Read on!

     When one door closes another one opens. We are all familiar with this saying, and now I am too. It's been almost 3 months since I've had a training run without any pain or discomfort and in that time I've gone through all the emotional ups and downs one can go through when dealing with an injury.
     However, one road block along the journey means nothing, I just have to find a different way around. While my injury has barred me from doing many things, it has allowed me to focus my energies in other positive ways. Since moving back to San Diego in June (I got injured in August) Natasha and I have started a new running venture: the Grassroots Running Project. We had many reasons that drove us to want to create something but our one main goal was simple: to share our passion for the sport with others. 
     What started out as disparate ideas came together to form one company with a very specific aim. Our dream is that our Grassroots Running Project can make a positive impact on the running world through it's  coaching, community, and career platforms. Ever since I began running I became entranced with the different methods people espoused in order to make runners great. I knew someday that I would also like to try my hand at the art of coaching - use my experiences to take someone to the next level. So, part of the Grassroots Running Project is devoted to personal coaching and I've taken my passion to the people. Natasha, after growing up with running and volunteering with Girls on the Run, had hopes of one day starting a youth health and fitness organization aimed at teaching kids how to have fun while staying fit. Along came our move to San Diego and the drive to make a difference caught on fire. Enter 2nd Recess, the Grassroots Running Project's community youth running/health program. This part of our project has moved so quickly we are in our fourth week with hosting it with the San Diego Track Club! The Grassroots Running Project has a third purpose behind coaching and community services. In the future we hope to be able to support the careers of the aspiring champion distance runners and bring awareness to inequalities present in the current system. It has been exciting to hear the talk online about making changes and we hope to join in when we can! 
     The one thing Natasha and I have always wanted to avoid  was have our dreams be hampered by the prospect of failure. This mindset  has led us this far in our running careers, and throwing caution to the wind, has driven our enthusiasm even more to start something we think can really make a difference. However, we don't just want to do it alone. We want to include everyone's passion, excitement, and thought. So, if you have something to say or wish to get involved in some way, please contact us! 

You can find us on Facebook (Grassroots Running Project), Twitter (GrssRtsRunProj), and WordPress (http://grassrootsrunningproject.wordpress.com/)!!! Or via email at grassrootsrunningproject@gmail.com