Walking up to Clean and Sober Streets (CSS) at 5:43am, I hug everyone in greeting and we all huddle close to try and fend off the cold.  Across the street though, one of our teammates is already warmed-up and eager for the run to begin.  Rodan Hollins is shadowboxing, tall and intent on crushing his imaginary foe.

As we cross the street to join him, he doesn’t stop immediately, but continues his routine until a teammate gently tells him it’s time to circle up.  “Alright, where am I going?”  He’ll ask the nearest neighbor who will help guide him into the group.  After warm-ups, it’s time to hit the road and Rodan keeps close to his guide, Silas Brown.  Rodan relies on Silas to lead him through the dark streets of Washington, DC without hitting poles or getting hit by cars because in addition to his passion for staying fit, Rodan is visually impaired.

“I have glaucoma.  I thought the world would close me out,” he tells me during the interview for DC’s Chapter Member of the Month.  “All my running mates encourage me.”  But there’s something more encouraging about witnessing the teamwork, the partnership, which has been created between these two men.  To passersby, they may appear like any running duo, but for Rodan, being able to run represents something greater than just staying fit.  “I treasure each morning,” he says, “it’s a spiritual gift.”

Rodan is grateful for the gift running gives him each day because it has helped him maintain his recovery from drugs.  “Working out was essential to my recovery and Back on My Feet helped me realize my addiction.”  Rodan’s addiction had broken up his family and when he came to CSS he needed the tools to repair the damage.  When he joined Back on My Feet he was just beginning to rediscover himself and the team gave him that opportunity by opening the door.

“Running is a better high than drugs,” he says with delight.  “Running helps me reach goals and being a part of a team brings me joy.  My team is a family; they’ve really opened their hearts to me.”

Rodan is determined to stay on the path he’s started traveling down, as he continually states how much running has helped him move forward.  When I ask him about his future, he exhales and his face brightens: “My future? God, my future looks wide open!”

We look forward to chasing that future with you, Rodan.  Keep running!

Competing and finishing the 2011 Ragnar Relay on September 24^th exemplifies what Marvin O. loves to do best: Run!  “I love to run, I have a passion for running,” Marvin repeated throughout his meeting with me as September’s DC Member of the Month.

Marvin is on the Clean and Sober Streets (CSS) team in DC and has been an active participant since March 2011.  Sober for 8 months and counting, Marvin entered CSS with the knowledge that using drugs and alcohol was not allowing him to love himself.  His passion for running motivated his enrollment on the Back on My Feet CSS team not just for his health, but to help him gain a “different state of mind.”  Running, Marvin explains with a matter-of-fact attitude, gives him the “energy to strive harder each day” to reach his goals.

And what is his “Goal, goal, goal?!”  He perks up eager to share and enticing me with his enthusiasm.  “I want to run a marathon in all 50 states!”  Before accomplishing that, he hopes to qualify for Boston and run the New York City Marathon.  He will get the chance to try for the coveted spots in both races when he competes in the upcoming Baltimore Marathon on October 15^th.

But Marvin knows he will not accomplish his goals alone.  “Shannyn and Smiley have been a great inspiration,” Marvin states in a lower tone that is thick with the obvious care and respect he has for the CSS Team Leader and his teammate.  “As well as Amy,” Marvin continues.  “She helped me stay at CSS.”  He pauses to reflect on the experience, then adds, “I was on my way out the door, but she told me to give it a chance.  Gretchen encourages me too and gives me the hope that I can improve my running.”  Volunteers, teammates, and staff alike have become his family.  “And I have to give a shout-out to Marque,” a former CSS teammate now running with Emery House.  “He kept encouraging me to move forward by saying, ‘Marvin, you got it in you!  Just do it, just do it.’”

To DC BoMF Staff it appears Marvin has lived up to his friends challenge, for Marvin has maintained a consistent presence at his team’s morning runs and is always signing up for races.  He’s even become an inspiration for others.  Marvin explained that education is very important to him and he’s been able to speak to his peers and let them know that in order to succeed, “You have to get it for yourself.  A quiet mouth doesn’t get things done, if you don’t know how to do something, ask!”

There certainly isn’t anything quiet about Marvin because when I asked him if he had any words of wisdom for his team, he shared: “Always remember we’re a team, to get back on our feet, and to maintain a positive attitude.  Attendance,” Marvin emphasized as he listed the qualities he expected from his team, but also from himself.  “Don’t do what you can’t do, do what you can.”

It’s this final thought that has truly made Marvin our Member of the Month.  At Back on My Feet, we remind all our members that it’s important to take each day as it comes, move forward one step at a time.  Marvin has certainly been conscious of the path he has traveled and the destiny he’s running towards.  We’re excited to be a part of his journey and feed off his passion.  Keep running, Marvin!

Nick F. grew up just north of Washington, DC in southern Maryland.  His home town played a big part in his early life, and that influence is as clear as the nickname of the city tattooed on the back of his hands.  Initially, one of the most notable features of Nick are the tattoos that he has up and down both of his arms.  But after you get to know Nick, his determination and quiet resolve are the things that begin to stand out more than the brightly colored designs that adorn his arms.

Nick is the team captain for the Back on My Feet team at Clean and Sober Streets (CSS) here in Washington, DC.  Nick came to CSS just before the holiday season in December of last year.  That transition into a program such as CSS was difficult, the rules and regulations made leaving a very tempting option.  This is the first time that he has been in a treatment program, but now that he does have the support he needs, as well as going to AA meetings regularly, he’s making progress in his recovery.  He’s found a supportive network of other people who have been through experiences that are familiar to him.  The advice and counsel offered by others in these programs have provided insight into his recovery and the way in which he can make the most of his time while at CSS.

The first month he was at CSS Nick noticed something.  He saw several different members of the program walking around with running shoes and shirts that said something about feet.  It was the way that these members carried themselves that first caught his attention.  Those members walked a little taller, spoke with more confidence and were leaders within the walls of Clean and Sober Streets.  In the early stages Nick worried that Back on My Feet was out of his league, but it was because the program was a challenge he wanted to be a part of it.  However, starting a 5:45am running program in January is not the easiest time to take on a new challenge.  The wind and the cold make two very strong points for staying in bed in the morning and adding another blanket to the bed.  But the easy path in life is usually not going to get you where you want to go.

And going is just what Nick did.  With just under 6 months in the program, Nick has a 99% attendance and 187 miles to his name.  Impressive stats for anyone, and even more so when you know that Nick stands 6’3” and weighed almost 300 lbs when he started the program.  Coming in at well under 250 lbs now, it’s safe to say that Nick has been out there running a lot!  Over the past few weeks he has been running on non-BoMF running days, and even putting in two-a-days at times.  All of this running has a purpose, and it is with this purpose that he focuses his efforts.  The fall half marathon training is starting up very soon, and he wants that solid base before he steps into the training schedule.  The Woodrow Wilson Half Marathon in early October is on the calendar and will be a great showcase for the effort that Nick has put in over the past 6 months and in the coming few months.

As much as we want to celebrate a good running success story, it’s really the success story part that Nick is focused on.  Back on My Feet is a stepping stone where people can find the support and encouragement they need to help them reach their goals.  Nick’s main goal is to get back into the life of his two children.  The steps to reach this goal involve progressing in his recovery and finding sustainable employment.  With the help of the Back on My Feet community Nick is working towards his goals.  David L., non-residential member of Clean and Sober Streets said, “he always has a great attitude. He has been a great team captain, and he keeps his teammates informed and motivated. His commitment to recovery and running has been admirable, and he made tremendous progress in both areas.”

More than anything else Nick has set the standard for the team in terms of attendance, attitude and commitment.  When he first joined CSS he had a lot of veteran members to look up, the ones that walked tall and spoke with confidence.  Over time and with a great work ethic, Nick is now the one that other members look up to, that they see as a leader in Back on My Feet and in Clean and Sober Streets.  Leadership is not something he sought out, or worked towards, but it is something that he grew into as he made progress as a runner and as a community member.

Something Nick said while he was talking about his love of running sums up the effort of Back on My Feet to use running as a vehicle to move people towards self sufficiency, he said, “What I like about long distance running is that you can have a bad start and still recover from it.”

Saturday, June 18^th was a beautiful morning for a great run and a little community service. Back On My Feet DC met up with the DC Trash Runners at 9am in Union Station to clean up their communities’ streets. During the quick 5k, the group ran the length of H Street NE picking up trash while feeding off the positive team energy and sunshine.

BoMF Team Members, Volunteers, & the DC Trash Runners

In attendance was a large showing from teams Clean and Sober Streets, Emery House, and the DC Trash Runners including Thornell M., David C., George J., Shon K., Drew W., Tiffany, Kent, Rob Brown, Chris G., and Donna Childress.

The members and volunteers enjoyed giving back to their community while getting in their morning workout. All in all it was a fantastic start to the weekend.  We are looking forward to the next event with the DC Trash Runners.

On Sunday, June 19, the Back on My Feet Washington DC teams participated in an 8k race through Georgetown. The cloudy and cool weather made perfect conditions for a highly enjoyable and successful race, for both members and volunteers alike.

Washington DC Team Members after the Fathers Day 8k

Representing Blair House, there were strong performances by Shon K. and Chris G., along with volunteers Barbara Poppe, John Murray and volunteer coordinator Alyson Shade.

From La Casa, members Dwight S., Alfonso T., and Chris G. ran alongside volunteers Brittany M., and Craig G., and were cheered on by their teammates Byron C., Felix B., and Dean B.

There was a strong showing for Clean and Sober Streets, with members David C., Marvin O., Thornell M., Lewis S., Darius C., Marque E., Charles K., team leader Nick F., volunteer Taishya Adams, and team leader Shannon Smith, all finishing with great times.

Representing Emery House was Scotty W. and volunteer Chris Hatton.

The members and volunteers were all extremely supportive of each other, encouraging strong performances and 110% effort. Even after an 8k run, everyone was thrilled to find Georgetown Cupcakes at the finish line. What a great end to Fathers Day!

Dave W. with Program Coordinator Robert Brown at the game

On May 31st, members and volunteers from all five of the BoMF DC teams gathered for a fun night at the Nationals Game. For some it was their first trip to a professional baseball game, and for others their first trip to the Nationals Stadium. Although it was a hot and muggy evening, everyone enjoyed watching the game, spending time with their teammates, and witnessing the Nationals beat the Phillies 10-2!

Dave W., Eric B., David C., Nick F., Marque E., Terrence E., Darius C., and volunteer Taishya represented the Clean and Sober Streets team. From the Blair House team, we had Chris G. and Alan S., with volunteers John Murray, Corey Murray, and core volunteer Allison Shade. Supporting the La Casa team, we had Bill P., Carlos M., James R., with volunteers Jonah Goodman, Carina Saunders, Devon O’Neil, and core volunteer Sally Clutche. Last but not least, from the N Street Village team, Caroline S. and team leader Lauren Gabler made it out to the game.

It was an amazing and inspiring night overall to see all the teammates and volunteers enjoying the game together.

The weather is heating up and the BoMF runners are more than happy about that fact.

The month of April saw Back on My Feet Washington, DC return to the scene of their first race, the GW Parkway Classic held by Pacers Running Stores down in Alexandria, Virginia.  The overcast morning kept everyone from getting sunburned while out on the 5K course that starts down on the George Washington Parkway and then quickly winds its way through old town Alexandria to finish up near Oronoco Bay Park, with a beautiful finish line festival covering the entire park.

Runners from all 5 of our teams participated in this race and it was the very first race for many of our members.  It was great for the BoMF volunteers who were at the first race here in DC to see how much progress has been made and how many new faces are involved in the program and making great progress forward each day.

Members moving forward.

Blair House:
Antoine P. was selected as the team captain
Bobby T. was chosen as the Residential Member of the Month
Kevin C. has moved out to his own apartment and now lives much closer to his job down in Virginia.
Omar H. got his cast off his leg, and is back out and putting up two mile morning runs on a regular basis already.
Will L. – has moved out to his own apartment and his young son will be joining him!

Clean and Sober Streets:
Nick F. was selected as the Residential Member of the Month as well as being chosen as the team captain
Ed J. moved out to his own apartment
Regina W. moved out to her own apartment
James L. has started back to work at his old job at the Washington DC Convention Center

Emery House:
Jerome F. was selected as the Residential Member of the Month at Emery House.
Walter B. moved to Mulumba House and has started training for the 20in24Ultramarathon!
Chris H. received his yoga certification and has also started training with Walter (and all star volunteer ultra runner, Dave F.) for the 20in24 Ultramarathon.

La Casa:
Watson Mills was selected as the Washington, DC Chapter Member of the Month
Kenneth M. started up a car detailing and pressure washing business and things are already going fantastic for him
Clarence and Bill J. both moved on to another transitional house just a few blocks away from La Casa but are making the runs every morning and doing great!

N Street Village:
N Street had a guest blogger, Lauren G. write there blog this month and it can be found HERE!

With two races taking place in March the team at Clean and Sober Streets certainly covered some miles!  The team first participated in the St. Patty’s Day 8K hosted by Capital Running Company.  The race took place in downtown Washington, DC starting on the historic Pennsylvania Ave and passing over Constitution Ave and Independence Ave, with a turnaround in front of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.  The weather was perfect for a race and the runners were in good spirits, with dancing and festivities starting before the race even took place!

Clean and Sober Streets also took part in the SunTrust National Marathon/Half and Relay that started over at RFK Stadium in Northeast Washington, DC.  Two relay teams from CSS ran the 13.1 mile course, with volunteer David L. rounding out one of the residential teams.  David W. ran the half marathon for the team, his second half marathon in the past 6 months.

March was the last month for Pete Van Vleet as the team leader for CSS.  He put in an amazing 6 months and helped many members start up in the program and work their way up to being able to run, and finish, 8K’s and relay legs in a 16,000 person race!  It was a great event to finish off Pete’s tenure as team leader, and he plans to continue running with the team, after a little bit of well deserved rest and recovery from the half marathon he ran.

The Clean and Sober Streets team also participated in the Back on My Feet Birthday Bash (view the photos HERE), celebrating BoMF’s first year, and numerous accomplishments, here in DC.  Lewis S. received the residential award for the most mileage, having over 500 miles under his feet! Also, Marque E. obtained a job as a flagger. Congratulations Lewis and Marque!

The Back on My Feet teams came together sporting their best green gear on Sunday, March 13^th for the St. Patrick’s Day 8K sponsored by the Capital Running Company.  The weather was perfect for a pre-race party that included far more dancing than I’ve ever seen at a race!  The crowd was in good spirits, and so were all the BoMF runners.  After an energetic warm-up in Freedom Plaza, the teams lined up on historic Pennsylvania Ave for the start of the race.  The 8K course took the runners through various streets in downtown Washington, DC that are usually too congested with traffic to ever dream about running (safely) down.  For many of the BoMF runners this was their first race at this distance, which created a few nervous runners before the starting gun.

Runners from four different team participated: Blair House, Clean and Sober Streets, Emery House and La Casa. This was a great tune up race for the upcoming National Marathon/Half and Relay for many of our members.  With an anticipated crowd of over 15,000 thousand runners at the larger race later this month it’s important for beginning runners to get as much time at races as possible to feel comfortable with the challenge that lies ahead of them.

Back on My Feet helped provide volunteer throughout the course.  Pictures of the race can be found HERE! As always we’re thrilled that we could be a part of this amazing race put on by the Capital Running Company.

Regina pictured on the left in red

Regina W. was born and raised in Washington, DC.  Her upbringing was filled with contention and strife, and unfortunately drugs.  Her parents had her when they were very young, and her father was not able to handle the stresses of war when he was drafted for Vietnam.  He came back a drug user, and that habit eventually spread to Regina’s mother.  They separated a few years later but that only intensified the issues she had to deal with on a daily basis.  Both parents were in and out of relationships and marriages throughout the years, and the continual changing of adult figures in her life led Regina to act out and seek attention, often in ways that were unhealthy and self destructive.  Both of her parents died as a result of their drug and alcohol addictions.

Despite the difficult relationship Regina had with her parents she still remains very close with her three sisters, Brenda, Tracy and Yvette.  Her sisters, along with their families and her grandparents have been a great support network for Regina as she has faced the troubles and problems that come along with drug and alcohol addictions.  Regina’s troubles started at a young age, getting into drugs and alcohol when she was 9 years old.  Quiet and a little bit reserved by nature, Regina turned to drugs and alcohol for the way they made her feel – that she could be anyone or do anything in the world she wanted to.  The feeling of confidence and self esteem is something that all people seek out, and when people don’t receive that affirmation of self worth from home it is far too easy to seek it out through other, unhealthy means.  Regina didn’t do very well in school, although she excelled in athletics and loved competing against the boys on her street in basketball and other sports, often times getting the best of them.  Her athletic endeavors weren’t strong enough to keep her grounded at the time, and she eventually dropped out of school in the 9^th grade.

With little education, and an unstable home life Regina turned to selling drugs to make ends meet.  This landed her in and out of jail a few times, with one sentence lasting 8 years for trafficking cocaine.  Through the ups and downs of life Regina had never really wanted to get clean, until now.  Coming to Clean and Sober Streets in April of last year is the first time that Regina has been in a drug treatment program.  She was sent there for a 30 day program by her parole officer, and it wasn’t until the last day of that program that she realized that she needed to stay longer.  She knew that if she was to make recovery work, to shed her old lifestyle and habits that she needed more time and more support to get herself to a point where she is strong enough to stay clean for good.  She always had a place to go, always had family she could stay with but she knew that she wasn’t doing right by herself, or her kids, by the life she was leading.  To be the sister, the mother and the friend that she knew she could be would take hard work, time and patience.  And so she stayed.

Regina has been to enough AA meetings to be familiar with the stories and themes that permeate the lives of so many people going through recovery.  The cycle of recovery and relapse is not something she wants to go through.  Her goal is to do it right the first time, because there may not be a second chance.  Regina started her process of recovery in the kitchen.  Working cooking for meals at Clean and Sober Streets, she was only female cook at the facility and she excelled. Getting her ServSafe certification Regina is now taking on getting her GED.  Math has never been her strong suit, but she’s determined to complete the program because she knows how much it will help her as she transitions out of the facility.  To her it’s a not a question of doing what is easy and comfortable, it’s about doing what she needs to in order to make a better life for herself and her family.

Another thing she has taken upon herself, despite it not being easy, is Back on My Feet.  Just two years before Regina came to Clean and Sober Streets she was in a fight and stabbed 10 times, one wound punctured her lung.  Her first thought about the program was that we were not for her.  With her previous injury, and her smoking, joining a running program sounded like the last thing she wanted to do.  But after a little while she saw the benefits that other members were getting out of the program.  Another intimidating thing about the BoMF program is that it was all men.  Relying on her childhood memories of besting the neighborhood boys in sports, Regina joined BoMF.  Instead of turning to drugs and alcohol for a boost in self esteem she’s able to rely on the accomplishments earned at each morning run, and at each monthly race.  Being a part of Back on My Feet shows Regina that she is part of something more, that she has friends and family that care about her and respect the accomplishments she’s worked for.  She doesn’t need to act out to receive attention from others, she’s found that with her BoMF family for the good things that she’s done.  “Running is something I’m excited about, it’s something different and it’s helped me in a lot of ways.”  Beyond the morning runs, she has recently started over at Project Empowerment and is thrilled to be taking charge of her life and her future!

“BoMF is a great idea, the people here show us lots of love.  It’s a great opportunity and I would encourage anyone to join BoMF – it’s about what you can do for yourself, to better yourself.”  Regina is proud of the progress she’s made, and said that it’s the faith that other people have put in her that makes her feel special and she no longer has to turn to drugs or alcohol for that feeling.