12th Annual Road to Wellness

ERA of WTF…………………joy and resistance

This year, close to 1,800 people signed up for RTW. I remember when it was a couple hundred. This is our BGR event — the only 5k I do over and over again. Running through Roxbury, the community, the vibe, all the joy — there was so much going on.

KB was out of town, so I had to bring the tent and help set up. Getting there early, I got first pick of where I wanted to be. This year had a new setup — they brought in a race director to help with the organization and better flow of the race. The stage was on the opposite side of the health pavilion, all the vendors and organizations were on one side, and registration and packet pickup were across the street. Makes sense they had to reconfigure given the number of people and the flow.

The day got hot. I loved seeing BMR, Pioneers, Trailblazhers, LiveFitArmy, Bulldogs, and so many others. I feel like I've found a great community. There were so many of my run folks there that I didn't get a chance to see and talk to everyone — when I saw the race day pictures later, I saw all the people I'd missed.

I was running for fun, taking pictures, enjoying the environment. I wasn't running for time. I finished 18th at 35:25, an 11:25 pace. Not bad, especially with a half marathon to run next Sunday. It was fun and felt good being in community.

Plus, I was working the circuit to let folks know about my book and book talk. So much love and excitement for me — appreciation runs dee