Why CARA? – Raising money for the organization that raised me to become a marathon runner.
In 2010 I lived in Chicago. I worked at the Chicago Botanic Garden as a postdoc and was on year two from grad school. Needing something different in my life, I decided to run the Chicago Marathon. Because it was going to be my first marathon, I wasn’t sure what I should do. In addition, I made this decision in June, after registration for the marathon had closed. However, several charities offered entrance in exchange for fundraising. I chose to run for the American Red Cross. There were numerous reasons to run for the American Red Cross (supporting Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, having volunteered for them in high school, etc.), but I was really interested in the marathon training program they enrolled us in. This was through the Chicago Area Runners Association, which we refer to as CARA. In all honesty, the training program didn't include much. They provided us with a training schedule and some information on how to train. The most valuable feature was supported weekend lo