So, I did it — I signed up for my first 5k! But, not just any old 5k. I knew if I was going to run (which by the way I don’t do — err, didn’t do I guess), I wanted it to be meaningful. . .

This past January my Frankie-love passed away. She was nearly 15 years old and lived a great life with us, but I miss her <3. I decided I wanted to do something for myself, something that would honor her memory, and something that would pay-it-forward in a sense. And so, I signed up and am running in the 10th Annual Baltimore BARCStoberfest 2014 Ready, Set, Sniff 5k on Saturday, October 25th at Patterson Park.

The Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) is the largest animal shelter in the Baltimore area. They are a nonprofit shelter that accepts and cares for all animals in need, promoting responsible pet ownership for a more humane community in Baltimore City.

BARCS takes in almost 12,000 animals a year and we need your help! Your assistance will greatly support them in their mission and help find homes for the thousands of animals they receive each year. As a community, we can make a difference in the lives of homeless and neglected animals. Read more about BARCS »

Each runner is asked to raise some money for BARCS, so I’ve setup a fundraising page here. My goal is $150 ($10 x 15 – since Frankie was almost 15yrs old).

Update Wed 9/17: I have surpassed my goal of $150 – Yay! So I am raising it to $225 ($15 x 15). 🙂 Thank you all <3 Your support means so much!

Here are their predetermined giving levels:

• $25 – Feeds two abandoned BARCS adult dogs or cats for one week
• $50 – Spay or neuter one BARCS homeless dog or cat
• $100 – Provides medical care and shelter for one BARCS cat or dog for a week
• $500 – Saves a BARCS seriously ill or injured animal
• $1,000 – A month’s worth of medications for all BARCS cats and dogs

But even $5 or $10 is great — every little bit counts 🙂

Here are some helpful links if you’re interested:

• The 10th Annual BARCStoberfest event link on the BARCS website
• Charm City Run’s Ready … Set … Sniff 5K Run and 1-mile Walk webpage
• the Ready … Set … Sniff Eventbrite registration page

As for next steps — haha, no pun intended(!!), but I love it, so I’m soo leaving it here 🙂 — is the training for this 5k run, since I’ve never really ran much less done a ‘run’ in my life! Yikes, here we go. . .