Washington DC 5K

I didn’t have enough time, or physical ability to train for the New York Marathon this year, but I wanted to show my support for the Every Mother Counts Team so I trained for a 5K instead.  I also wanted to show my support for the pregnant women in developing countries who often have to travel marathon distances to reach critical maternal health care.  I printed out a training guide from Every Mother Counts’ training blog and began to work out in the basement gym on the treadmill. I thought I was doing good, until one day Erin, Wei Wei, and I did a bit of a run on the Washington mall on what seemed to be the last humid day of the year. They ran, but I had to run/walk, which was a good reminder to myself that this wasn’t about my ability to run a race, but about something much bigger than myself.

In fact, three of my closest friends have had serious complications during their deliveries. I felt helpless to console my friends and try to make sense of what went wrong. I tried to be there to support their scared and shaken husbands.  Luckily, all three are fine today and have healthy, happy babies. It’s easy to think that this kind of complication can’t happen in a major US city. 

As the plans for the NYC Marathon were evolving, Kate, our lovely intern and I thought we’d be the lone DC representatives, but Sandy changed a lot of things. As the day approached and the New York Marathon was cancelled, our Executive Director decided to run her 26.2 miles in DC.  I decided she deserved my support. I jumped in for my 5K at the end and made it to the finish of our self-made race, where a large group of supporters had gathered. No excuses. If a storm couldn’t keep these moms from completing their task to thank their supporters and honor pregnant women in developing countries, I couldn’t complain about the brisk autumn air and my knee feeling a little off.

The Washington monument, the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall and the Capitol building made for an inspirational background.  My friend ran with me on a route that included parts of South East DC, which as a recent transplant, I hadn’t explored much. The physicality of my jaunt was nothing compared to what others have gone through in their long struggle and journey. But I was inspired by what I’ve been able to learn and share. I am inspired by those who support other moms, even those they may never have the chance of meeting. I want to thank everyone who ran, everyone who supported the Every Mother Counts team, either in person or through a donation, and I want to thank my friends who are moms. It is an unbelievably tough job, and you inspire me through not only being the amazing women you are, but for raising such great human beings. I hope they can come to live in a world where maternal mortality is a rare occurrence.