Iron Girl Weekends Past & Anticipating the half this year!

Come find your Iron Core!!

My very first experience with Iron Girl was back in 2006 with my sister, Rachel. I had been running for about a year and a half and found a postcard advertisement for this race and thought it would be a great one to get my sister to join with me. She took the bait and we set off for the 5k. I was so very proud of her for completing this challenge and in a time of 38 minutes. We both still have this photo to remind us of the bond we share, not just because we came from the same loins, but because we share the same passions - a.k.a. being a great Mom and running. Both of us have come such a long way since then, and as with any journey one accomplishment leads to another challenge. We will both return this year to display our sharpened Iron Core and at a MUCH quicker pace.

My daughter's very first 5k!!

My 2007 Iron Girl date was with my daughter, Shay, who was 6 years old at the time. I had started running a year before my initial Iron Girl with my sister due to a challenge to run the Gasparilla 5k with a friend. I quickly became addicted to races and I enjoyed Iron Girl so much with my sister that I signed up for the Mother/Daughter 5k team run and we were anticipating a beautiful run. My daughter talked about running the whole thing and all I said was, "Let's have some fun!" We had loads of it as we climbed and descended the Memorial Causeway with our hats and sunglasses on for the warm journey ahead. There were struggles, laughs, some piggy-backing, and some tears as we took each and every step TOGETHER! I feel the welling up of tears of joy as I remember those 3.1 miles we spent together, just my daughter and I (and a few thousand other girls). In just under 58 minutes we sprinted across the finish line like we were in first place with someone hot on our tails. I saw her IRON CORE that day!! Ever since then it has been showing itself more and more with each accomplishment she reaches!!

These two past Iron Girl races are what plays in my mind when I think of Iron Girl, dominating many other races I have run since then. This year I am registered for the half marathon and I look forward to the challenge it provides to show my IRON CORE again!! I encourage you to sign up for either the 5k or the Half marathon and find your Iron Core!
Happy running my friends!