Pink & Black at the Prison Break Dash

The weather was absolutely glorious this weekend and it made for a great time with friends at the Prison Dash 5k. It was my first official run of the year and I could not have asked for nicer weather or a more fun event. I don’t think there is anything quite like running by a guard tower first thing in the morning.

Now that the weather is nicer I have turned my workouts outdoors. Whether it is doing my post-run stretches out on my deck or throwing on my sneakers for an early morning or pre-dinner run. The spring weather cannot be ignored. Neither can the need to wear bright colors while working out. This week was all about getting more regular workouts in and adding in new pieces to what I wear to stay in shape.

The Prison Break Dash is a unique experience for a runner. Its route begins in the yard of the Old Lorton Prison, which closed in the early 1990s here in Lorton, VA, and since then it has been revamped into an art and community space called the Workhouse. It loops through trails and paths on the old prison buildings and makes for a different sort of run. We have gone to dance classes here, seen art exhibits, heard lectures and participated in food and art festivals. You can still take in prisoner art and visit the Suffragist Museum in one of the outbuildings. During the early 1900s Suffragists like Lucy Burns, Alice Paul and Pauline Adams were imprisoned here on the orders of President Woodrow Wilson for picketing the White House and demanding a woman’s right to vote. While there they were forced into labor to make bricks. The warden and guards beat them and treated them contempt beyond comprehension.  They went on a hunger strikes and refused to talk. They earned the name, The Silent Sentinels. You might remember them from scenes in the film, Iron Jawed Angels. My daughter is named after one of these women and it is a time in history that I hold dear and never want to stop learning about and teaching to others.

I think I’ll do this run each year.  It has a deeper meaning than making a PR.

My shirt for Lucy Burns

My sash that I ran in says, ‘Votes for Women’.

As I ran my final lap a woman yelled out, “Don’t talk! Don’t eat!” I smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

Shirt by Champion/Skirt by Champion (similar)/Sneakers by Brooks (similar)

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy/Because Shanna Said So/Vodka Infused Lemonade/DC in Style/Style Elixir

Learn more about some of the struggles the Suffragists went through you can watch it at Suffragists: The Fight to Vote.