Running for Roofsit

It's always good to remind ourselves just why we get out there and move.

A few days after starting my journey at Fleet Feet Sports Mishawaka, I had the pleasure of meeting Emily Marvel. She told me she wanted to run 100 miles, the distance from Notre Dame's campus to the Navy Pier in Chicago, to raise money for Roofsit, an organization dedicated to the prevention of child abuse in St. Joseph's County.

I know a lot of us strap on our shoes to run or walk because we feel like it's something we "need" to do. We run 5k's and train for marathons. We get out there and put one foot in front of the other for a lot of reasons. It takes enough courage for someone who is trying running for the first time to commit to getting out the door and get moving. When you begin to love running and find that you can do this thing you love and make a difference in the world at the same time it completely changes how you think about the miles we walk and run.

Emily told me that this wouldn't be her last time using the miles she logs as an opportunity to raise awareness and money for good causes. I'm glad to hear this. The whole team at Fleet Feet Sports Mishawaka wants to do everything we can to help her reach her goals. Here are some ways you can help:

• Visit Emily's Facebook page Running for Good to make a donation.
• Donate on the GoFundMe page: Running for Good
• Stop by Fleet Feet Sports Mishawaka and drop some change or cash into the Running for Good donation jar.
• Spread the word for us! Share this on Facebook and Twitter.

The fundraiser will finish on June 19.

Below are some words from Emily Marvel on why she runs:

I hated sports in school.  Especially hated running.  Ironically, the only sport I joined in all of high school was cross country senior year. I was the worst. Literally, the worst runner. There must have been something that drew me to it though...

15 years later, I am an addict. I picked up running a couple of years ago to "be healthy," only to find over time that I was doing something more than exercising.  In 2011, I logged a whole 12.3 miles on my new running app. My distance was 1.5 miles tops, with walking breaks every 0.2. This was clearly the obligatory "I've gained weight recently, I'm going to 'work out' and that's better than nothing." 2012, 132 miles... I was starting to like it, and not because there were results, because there weren't. I wasn't losing weight, but I was gaining strength. Last year, 2013, I logged 872 miles. Where I had once limited myself to running around my block, with walking breaks each time around, and only in specific temperatures and specific conditions, I now run in rain. And snow. And ice. And cold. And heat. And anywhere, any time.  As of the first 6 months of 2014, I am already at 560 miles.  Athletic ability? Maybe 10%.  90% mind and heart. That's truly where it is.

I don't run to stay slim, I don't run to stay in shape. I run for the sake of running, and there's great joy and simplicity in that.

"THE MIRACLE IS NOT THAT I FINISHED, IT'S THAT I HAD THE COURAGE TO START"

--Brett Albers
General Manager, Fleet Feet Sports Mishawaka
brett.albers@fleetfeet.com