Over 7,000 women from all over the country gathered on the Boston Common this Columbus day to run the 32nd annual Tufts Health Plan 10k for Women. Which, according to the emcee, meant 7,000 reasons to do any number of race-related activities (run fast, cross the finish line, cheer each other on).

One of the 7,000 reasons for me to finish the race was fundraising, and thank goodness for easy editing on Firstgiving.com!  After trying unsuccessfully to compete in two sprint triathlons (they were both cancelled due to hazardous weather conditions), I transformed my Firstgiving fundraising page for the 3rd time and signed up for a road race I was pretty sure couldn’t be flooded out.

I ran with my friend Lydia, an experienced runner who reminded me to lengthen my strides and take it easy going down the hills. Thanks to her encouragement and coaching, I ran all 6.2 miles and even had a last burst of energy left to pick up the pace between mile 6 and the finish line!

Allison, friend of Firstgiving, preps for the race.

As for finishing stronger, I’m looking forward to more races and more fundraising opportunities in the months to come.  Be sure to swing by Team Firstgiving for up-to-date news on what’s going on with the endurance sports community.