Cornerstone Striders - Running in Suffolk

A devoted group of Cornerstone Striders out for a Dismal Swamp
run in January, 2013

This month I will mark two years running with the Cornerstone Striders in Suffolk. I wanted to take a little time to talk about how this group changed everything for me when it comes to running.

In December, 2011, I had been running only about three months, having started as part of my quest to drop the massive amount of weight I had accumulated by age 49. I had reached a point where I was dismayed by the way I felt, looked and where I was physically, on the cusp of turning 50. I had made myself a promise that my gift to myself for my 50th birthday would be a new, healthier me but I had a long way to go. By September, 2011, I had already dropped about 80 pounds, but still had 50 to go and my doctor had cleared me to run.

Running with Cornerstone in Carrollton

For the first three months of running, I started slowly.  On my first runs, I was barely able to run a quarter mile without stopping. I worked myself up to running the entire length of my 5-mile walking route. Running was doing great things, but I was running alone. At a Christmas party, I chanced upon another friend, who knew I had been running and asked if I had heard about a new running group that had formed in Suffolk. I told her I had not, but got the details. I woke up the next morning to run and looked up Cornerstone. As it turned out, they had a group run that morning at Hillpoint. I thought, "what the heck, I'll show up and, if I hate it, I won't go back."


Andrea started the Cornerstone Striders after moving
down from Michigan with her family. The group now
boasts a membership of over 100 runners

Well, I showed up for that Sunday morning run two years ago and I have not looked back (figuratively, of course). Running with a group, and this group, in particular, has made all the difference. Along the way, I have met some of the most motivated people I have ever known (thanks Andrea!). I have also achieved goals I never dreamed possible, like running my first half and then full marathons at age 50. I have shared the experience of running a 200-mile relay across Virginia and completed my first triathlon. I am now training for my first ultra marathon. I am convinced that much, if not all, of these things may never have happened or, if they did, would have happened much more slowly without Cornerstone.

Cornerstone travelled to Richmond for the Monument Avenue 10K

In the end, I would say, that running with a group has motivated me to be a better and more accomplished runner. I hope that I can pass that inspiration on to other new runners. Sometimes a group makes all the difference.

Our Cornerstone Century team completed the Colonial 200 Relay running
over 200 miles across Virginia