Rita's Leaving Raleigh
It’s hard to put in words my thoughts about leaving Raleigh and mostly about leaving RDP. Although I do not tend to express many of my emotions publicly, I do express all of my thoughts to my RDP teammates :) These girls know me inside and out, and they have been my best friends in Raleigh day in and day out. Being a part of this team from day one has enabled me to make so many new running friends since the start of RDP in 2017 and seeing this team grow from inception date has been one of the most humbling experiences. Two things that are constant reminders for me with respect to RDP: (1) The Raleigh running community shows up and (2) Training at an elite level is not easy.
The Raleigh running community has grown tremendously since I started running from Fleet Feet Raleigh located on Wade Avenue on Monday nights when I was 17 years old. I recall I was a senior in high school and met a group of amazing older gentlemen who goofed with me every Monday night and taught me that running can be fun. I ran my first marathon at the City of Oaks the next year, my freshman year at NCSU, alongside this group and craved more PR’s ever since! Then Tir na Nog runs started in downtown Raleigh and eventually every local bar downtown seemed to have their own run club where I would routinely go to make new friends. Those were the days, scrambling from work to arrive just in time to run around downtown with friends. Then the crazy new idea for a downtown running store came around by Kimberlie and David Meeker, and Brent Franchise, now owned and operated by Alex Warren. Runologie: a shop that was a little community for all types of runners in the heart of downtown. Being alongside the founders of Runologie was invigorating and fun to see just how many runners there were in the capital city of NC.
But there was still a niche missing in Raleigh. Fast women continued to stir up chatter about wanting to call Raleigh home and train here. I mean why not? We have great greenways, trails, and basically altitude training in the summer with the humidity. With countless hours of planning and brainstorming sessions, RDP was conceived with a group of six passionate founders. Being a founding member of RDP has led me to see the good, the bad, the sometimes ugly but most importantly, the amazing. Having the support of Raleigh running has been the pivotal link that has enabled RDP’s continued success since 2017. I know RDP is much greater than the founders or its current roster of athletes. It is inspired by our community and those lifting us up along the way. And I know that RDP will continue to thrive for years to come!
Training to be the top in the sport of running is a full time job and is much easier said that done. Just ask Coach Steve, who has also been with RDP and believing in his athletes and the mission of RDP since 2017. Training to race on the level the athletes do on RDP while maintaining jobs, pursuing higher education, relationships, and even becoming mothers is something that makes RDP like nothing else, in my opinion. Day in and day out, these girls are showing up to get better, faster, and mentally tougher. The occasional Instagram post will sometimes capture the work we put in, but most often the 33 degree pouring down ice rain 6:00 am workouts (where we have to commute 40 mins one way before heading into the office) aren’t captured. Being a part of a group who works incredibly hard without complaints has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had to date. RDP has taught me to be tough, both mentally and physically. RDP has taught me that people really do believe in you. RDP has taught me that pushing your boundaries in this sport is still possible. Mostly, RDP has taught me that I will have friends for a lifetime no matter the distance. I love this group more than words can express. While I am extremely sad to say goodbye to RDP and my greater Raleigh running community, I know I will be back for occasional long runs and big hugs, with gifts of bourbon in hand. So with that, my time has run, and I must say one last time, cheers to you Raleigh Distance Project.
~ Rita