This might have been the most impressive week of running for me so far. My roommate and I did two three mile runs this week.

On Sunday we did a three mile run, and the weather was absolutely perfect for it. We only took four short walking breaks during the run, and we felt amazing after we hit the three mile mark.

The three miles we ran on Tuesday were a little bit more difficult. We had to take a few more walking breaks this time. However, our pace for each of our first two miles was faster than our pace for the first two miles of our Sunday run.

We didn’t end up running on Thursday like we originally planned, because on Wednesday my neck was really bothering me. My neck was still bothering me a little bit on Thursday morning when I woke up, and I didn’t want to risk hurting it any more by going on a run. It turns out that my lymph nodes were inflamed. I’ll fill you in more on that story next week.

The 5k we participated in was yesterday… sorry for the late post this week … again. I’ll have more details on that for you (hopefully) on Friday!  

Other than that, this week I finally got my free t-shirt from completing the boot camp workout class on campus. The shirt is actually pretty cute, so I’m really glad I stuck with the class!

The Water Walk

If you read my previous post, you would’ve known that I planned on sharing about this cool event that my roommate, and current running partner, helped organize.

My roommate, Kathrine, is the founder and president of the UNICEF club at the university we currently attend. She was also in charge of putting on this year’s Water Walk for the organization.

Kathrine said she started the UNICEF club on campus because it’s something that she’s always wanted to be a part of in one way or another. So, freshman year she worked to start the organization with their adviser on campus, and “[they’ve] been rolling ever since.”

If you are unfamiliar with UNICEF, they are the United Nations Children’s Fund. They help disadvantaged kids across the globe. Kathrine’s organization works to help fundraise for the organization, but they also do other advocacy events and try to provide general education about the organization to others on campus.

One of the biggest events the club puts together is the Water Walk. March is World Water Month, and while this event was in April, the purpose behind it is still the same.

“UNICEF pushes toward providing access to clean drinking water to kids just because there are so many factors wrapped up with it,” Kathrine said. “So, if you can provide a family with access to clean drinking water, there’s a higher chance that the kids will then be able to go to school, which obviously has a great effect. We decided to do the Water Walk just to draw attention to the global water crisis here on campus.”

The Water Walk was a free, public event. Participants met up at a local park and were then given name tags with either a green or yellow sticker on them.

Then we were split into two groups. Everyone was given a five gallon bucket filled halfway with water. We then had to walk along a two mile path carrying the bucket of water, all while encountering different obstacles, mud, and trying to make it back before the “school bell” rang.

Once we had made it 2/3 of the way around the path, we were stopped at another obstacle where we were told that school was about to start. Then we were told that everyone with a green sticker was a boy and had to give their bucket to someone with a yellow sticker (a girl) because the boys had to go to school.

The volunteers then explained that often times it is seen as more important for males to get an education, so most of the time females will miss out on school because they are responsible for bringing the water home.

I had a yellow sticker, and luckily one of my green stickered counterparts took pity on me and did not make me carry their bucket. I think one of the volunteers told us that carrying a full five gallon bucket (or two half full buckets) would’ve been about forty pounds, which is a tad much for me to carry an extended distance.

While I had participated in this event before, it again opened my eyes. It is so easy to take the clean water we have readily available to us for granted. I cannot imagine being a kid and having to be responsible for carrying a forty pound bucket of water for miles in order to have clean water to use at home.

Kathrine said that hosting the Water Walk for the past two years has also made an impact on her life.

“I think it’s that we read about everything that’s going on, but to be talking with other students and to have them actually share personal experiences really brings it home,” Kathrine said. “It gives me a better perspective as to why we’re doing it.”

If you are interested in learning more about UNICEF or other ways you can help you, Kathrine and I both would encourage you to go to their website to check out some of their upcoming events. You can also make donations on their website if you are feeling motivated to do so, or you can simply follow them on social media to stay up-to-date on their latest projects.

Wrap Up

Thank you so much for being patient with me these past couple of weeks. I am super excited to share my latest 5k experience with you on Friday!

(If you aren’t signed up to get an email notification of when I post my latest blog, you might want to consider doing that by clicking on the follow button. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I usually post on Fridays, and today is Sunday. Also, you don’t want to miss out on next week’s post).   

Well, I need to go study for an anatomy test. I’ll be back on Friday… hopefully. Have a good week, friends!

Week 8:  
Miles run this week:6.1 
Miles run total: 26.7
Overall mood: Swollen lymph nodes, but happy