In mid 2019, around my birthday, I decided to get a group of friends together in an effort to motivate them to work out and eat healthy. We were not all runners and all came in different shapes and sizes. For 2 months we would log what we ate daily and run, yoga, bike or lift weights. I started with a challenge to everyone in my group. The challenge was a workout plan and diet plan they had to follow. They all accepted the challenge and we all worked to stay on track. After that challenge there were more challenges. I worked hard to follow the challenges I set and pushed the team as much as I could. The folks that I did this with were very motivated throughout. 
For the last month of that challenge, we competed to see who could run the most miles in teams of two. We each had a partner (randomly chosen) that we worked with to plan together then run with virtually, then plan together again. We still cheered each other as a group but now we had one on one support with the greatest workout some of us had ever done. We tracked our miles and in the end there were over a thousand miles between us all. We had all become so competitive and so driven. At the end of the challenge everyone got Finisher medals. Many of us continued to work out and eat healthy even after the challenge was over. This challenge was how I celebrated my birthday that year. I was inspired the entire time and afterwards.  

This year I hosted my 2nd Annual Afrorunner Challenge. This was about 5 times the size of the 2019 Challenge. In 2019 I really had about 10 friends working out together and this year I expanded to 50 members of my family and friends but also truncated the length of time for the program. We would run a virtual 4 mile race in one day. It was an amazing experience. I thought of a cause that was near and dear to me, made t-shirts, got medals made again and connected the runners so we could all push each other. We would all spend a day of working out and motivation. It was a give and take system and we were bound to feel good whether we were giving motivation or taking it while working out. 

In the end we all accomplished the following:

· We ran or walked at least 4 miles (some of us did more)

· We ran for a cause (Awareness of Sjogrens Syndrome and Breast Cancer)

· We ran for a personal purpose 

· We helped someone else to feel good

· We felt good

· We were finishers

I realize that there are so many ways to celebrate your birthday but to me this was one of the best ways I could do it. I created a community that focused on good health and positive energy and I am so inspired. So the best way to celebrate your birthday…find a purpose and find inspiration that can take you through another year…and hopefully mark your sole. Cheers!

Afrorunner