Half Marathon

I can't believe its been 2 weeks since I ran my first half marathon! What a wonderful/hard/exhausting/pink experience! I'm so glad I did it... and I've picked out my next one - the Diva run in September!

Trixie sent me some amazing hot pink shoe laces that arrived just in time for the race! I LOVE them so much.



These are the amazing ladies I trained with. Without them, I would not be running. Seriously.



Josh bought me a glitter pink running skirt. Pheobe agreed to get one to run in too (team-sparkle.com - check them out!) but we forgot that Pheobe is many many inches taller than me. So we looked a little different in our skirts... but still AWESOME. We also thought it was going rain... but we had clear skies. But we were dressed to weather whatever storm was coming (I'm so glad it didn't rain! Its a miracle!)



Here is the start line! It felt like hours waiting to finally run. We were in the 25th corral - so we did have a little time to wait.



At mile 6 there was a terrible hill! Thankfully, Josh and my wonderful parents were waiting there to give me the boost I needed to run the whole hill. After running for approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes (yep, we weren't that fast, but I'm ok with that) we finished! Around mile 10 I was done. I was sure that I had blisters (I didn't, I just broke a little mentally) and I was so so tired. You couldn't see the finish line - it was up hill and it seemed so far. But I ran the whole way and crossed the finish line!



Our friend Emily had brunch waiting for us when we finished. We had so many friends waiting to celebrate with us - it was so great!

I still can't believe that I did this! I'm so glad I did!

Rape Culture

Since seeing the news coverage of the Steubenville rape case, I've had a post rattling around my brain about the rape culture in which we live - and bemoaning the conviction of 2 rapists because their lives are "now ruined" only furthers the case.

I came across this article that clearly outlines the many examples to make the point that yes, indeed we live in a rape culture. There are many great (appalling) examples, but this really hit home to me:

Rape culture is every time we look the other way when sex is used as a weapon, or to shame someone, keep someone submissive, or marginalize someone. It can be as simple as a co-worker sexually harassing you, and then telling you to “learn to take a joke” when you tell them to shut the f*ck up already. At a time when rape can be documented and spread across Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and basically anywhere online, it is crucial that we have these conversation and condemn every perpetrator. 40 years ago rape was simply swept under the carpet, an upsetting thing no one wanted to deal with. If now, in the digital age, we accept it as gossip, as entertainment, as something that just happens to that girl everyone makes fun of, what we’re really saying is that we‘re fine with it. And we are absolutely, 100%, without a doubt, NOT fine with it.

And then, so you don't despair, read this. Culture CAN be changed. There  are real actions that can be taken to change the rape culture in which we live, including:

• Understand that if you are trying to prove something about yourself by degrading others, you are contributing to a culture in which violence is inevitable.

• Don't make light of talk that degrades girls or women including labels like "slut," "tramp," and the like. Rape thrives in environments where it is normalized and thus seems justifiable. Rape thrives when we dehumanize and categorize girls/women.

• Don't turn a blind eye when a girl/woman is being harassed (spoken to in a derogatory manner). Speak up or hang out with better guys. If this behavior caused men to lose all of their friends, they may not engage in it. If there are more good guys than bad ones, prove it.

• If you see a situation where someone looks like they are going to harass or possibly assault someone, try to get them out of that situation or if it is safer, try to get the potential victim out of that situation.

• Think about the media you consume -- from music to sports casting to comedy. Yes, there are lots of ways of justifying listening to outlandishly sexist media, but come on. You choose to consume it; you legitimate its messages.

• Teach your brothers and/or sons to respect all people and that no girl or woman ever deserves to be violated.

Happy International Women's Day 2013!

Its International Women's Day 2013, and do I have some great readings and viewings for you!

"The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights" Gloria Steinem

Women across the world are doing some remarkable things:

Check out this slideshow from Reuters.

Read about women serving in the Peace Corps - Our Best Diplomats: Women in the Peace Corps 

Learn about the work this doctor is doing to save lives in Syria.

Watch this video from UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet

[embed]http://youtu.be/mEzfI8wMjqg[embed]

And this one: Women as Agents of Change

[embed]http://youtu.be/2mVP1wuMHsY[embed]