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I dread solo runs the way the average person hates tax time. The solitary nature of the run forces me to turn inward, and as a goal-oriented overachiever with a fear of failure, I hate the introspection that these runs cultivate.The thought of spending hours wrestling with my body, willing it to keep going, with no distractions and no community support makes me question my sanity. Ive tried all of the recommended tips and mental tricks, as well as fitness gadgets and apps to make solo running for long distances better.Only one thing has done the trick: virtual runs.I joined two virtual running groups on Facebook because of my love for Harry Potter --?Nerd Herd Running, with money going to the nonprofit Stupid Cancer, and the Hogwarts Running Club, who donates to a different organization every race. When I ran the Dementors Kiss 5K with the Hogwarts Running Club, we raised $45,000 for Miles for Cystic Fibrosis. I liked the idea that the money I spent fueling my running habit also had a larger purpose.Virtual races are runs of a predetermined length that can take place at any location of your choosing during a particular week. You pay the race registration fee and receive a runners bib in your email. Certain running groups require that you submit a proof of time, and after a couple of weeks, you receive a finishers medal.These races dont require travel, so theyre easier on the wallet. And best of all, there are no long lines at the porta-potty.For me, these runs are the perfect combination of nerd culture and running community. Running is one of those activities I never thought I would do. I abhorred physical exercise as a child. I was sedentary in my early 20s from a combination of depression and self-loathing. I wanted to be invisible.One phone call changed my life.It was my 27th birthday, and I needed serious convincing that I should live another year. My childhood friend Jillian called. Buried under the floral comforter in my bedroom, iPhone on speaker, I told her that I am not sure I wanted to continue living.She persuaded me to make a list of all the things I couldnt do, but that I dream of doing. On my list was a completing a marathon.Jill suggested we start small, with a princess-themed 5K. We registered, trained and finished the race together. From there we took on 10Ks and half-marathons and multiple-day challenges.Ive been running, off and on, ever since. Exercise is my version of Defense Against the Dark Arts.?I let my imagination loose on these runs.***Its 5 a.m. when my earbuds go in, and the fusion of sight and sound begins a seamless transition to the Harry Potter Universe. My mind fills in the gaps of my elaborate fantasy. Everyday sights and sounds, with their metronomic regularity, transform into rhythmic spectacle.My environment becomes animated -- lampposts change into floating candles, illuminating my path. The local YMCA, which towers above the rest of the landscape, morphs into the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, strong dramatic architecture silhouetted against an enchanted navy sky.For the first half of my run, I evade the dark forces. Halfway through, my left heel is sore, and my right knee threatens to be uncooperative.I stop.Thats when the Dementors show up. In the Harry Potter Universe, theyre mystical figures shrouded in black gossamer cloth, and they thrive on despair. Their main purpose is to suck the happiness and good memories out of the people that they come across.In my mind theyre always hovering on the periphery, waiting time until I let my guard down. Doubt doesnt take long to blossom once its taken root -- I know that from near fatal bouts with depression. Those brushes with the spectral always left me listless and unmotivated, wracked with nightmares and harboring the belief that I was devoid of talent.I have to keep running. I make it past a large tree Ive dubbed the Whomping Willow before I was forced to stop again. Up ahead I see a Boggart, a shape-shifting creature that takes on the form of the thing you fear most.The resurrected corpse looks like me, but smells like betrayal -- wet, decaying flesh giving way due to neglect. Brain slightly atrophied, cloaked in anger, frustration and fear. She utters sharp, mean statements: I am not fast. I am not brave. I am a failure.My run has a new sense of urgency, to prove the other me wrong, to conquer the things that threaten to drown me if I ever give myself permission to think about them.I am the protagonist. I cant outrun this variant of myself. I have to face her. I surrender to the run; I stop obsessing about the time.I pull the terrible memories and places out of myself and leave them on the pavement. In this alternate universe, I could be gifted and hardworking, and villains were always vanquished, even though all enchantments come with a price. I dont have to be fast -- I just have to finish.Monsters, after all, can be defeated. I know I deserve to cultivate hope, to have peace. I understand it is my right to be happy. My creativity allows me to believe in the incredible, to not be limited by the bounds of my own experience. I know, at the end of all of this, that I can endure.Latria Graham is a writer, editor and cultural critic. She is currently living in South Carolina. Follow her @LGRaconteur Fake Shoes Free Shipping . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. China Shoes For Sale . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. https://www.fakeshoesonline.com/ . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. Fake Yeezy . 10 Texas Rangers jersey for one last time. Young formally announced his retirement Friday after returning to Rangers Ballpark, his baseball home for all but the last of his 13 major league seasons. Fake Shoes Discount . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta. EUGENE, Ore. -- Stanford quarterback Keller Chryst finally found a groove for his third start.The junior quarterback, who took over for Ryan Burns at the end of last month, threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns in Stanfords 52-27 victory over Oregon on Saturday.You saw Keller just finally get comfortable, Stanford coach David Shaw said. He got comfortable, the ball was coming out of his hands on time, and he hit some big-time throws.Stanford (7-3, 5-3 Pac-12) is 3-0 now with Chryst at quarterback. His breakout -- along with Christian McCaffreys big day -- provided some offensive equilibrium for the Cardinal, Shaw said. McCaffrey ran for 135 yards and three touchdowns.We talked at length about balancing out the offense. The first two weeks with Keller as the starter we knew he was trying to get comfortable so we wanted to really dedicate ourselves to running the football, Shaw said. This game we wanted to be more balanced.The loss means that Oregon (3-7, 1-6) will finish with a losing record for the first time since 2004. It also effectively knocked the Ducks out of contention for a bowl game with two games left.We just got outplayed, offensive lineman Cameron Hunt said.The game did not carry the implications that many thought it might have at the start of the season. Neither team was ranked for the first time since the 2008 meeting.Either Stanford or Oregon had won every Pac-12 championship since the league expanded and a title game was established in 2011. This season, Washington and Washington State are undefeated in conference play at sit atop the leagues North division.McCaffrey ran for a 61-yard touchdown to put Stanford up early. After Oregon lost the ball on a fumble, McCaffrey scored again on a 5-yard TD run. Last seasons Heisman runner-up needed just 20 yards rushing going into the game to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season.I was patient, patient and then when I saw the hole, there was a lot of green grass ahead of me, McCaffrey said about his long opening touchdown run.McCaffrey, who also scored on a 14-yard run in the first half, had struggled this season and sat out of the game against Notre Dame because of an injury. But he looked to regain his form last weekend with 199 yards rushing in a 26-15 victory over Oregon State.McCaffrey also caught five passes for 52 yards against Oregon.Oregon freshman quarterback Justin Herbert, who started his fifth game after taking over for graduate transfer Dakota Prukop, threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns. But he also threw two interceptions.Royce Freeman ran for 111 yards and a touchdown for Oregon.dddddddddddd The Ducks main problems were on defense, allowing Stanford 540 yards of total offense. It was the first time this season the Cardinal had 250 or more yards both via pass and on the ground this season.Kani Benoits 7-yard touchdown run for Oregon in the final quarter made it 52-20 and allowed the Ducks to preserve their streak of games with 20 or more points to 40, the longest active streak in the nation.Asked what he would like to see from his players in the final two games, Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said: Find out who rises up. Find out what were made of. Obviously, you play to win every single game, every single rep, whatever you are doing, if you are a competitor.THE TAKEAWAYStanford: The Cardinal averaged just 20 points a game this season before Saturdays win. ... Linebacker Joey Alfieri, an Oregon native, intercepted a first-half Herbert pass to Tony Brooks-James, for his first career interception.Oregon: Oregon fell behind 21-0 in the first half for the third time in the last five games. ... The Ducks have lost seven of their last eight games. ... I apologize to them for how we finished out the home slate, Helfrich said in a message to fans following the game.INJURIES: The Ducks were again without receiver Dwayne Stanford, who has missed five games. CSNNW.com reported before the game that Stanford was out for the rest of the season. ... Senior safety Reggie Daniels was listed on the depth chart but also in street clothes. ... Following the game Helfrich said that running back Taj Griffin was out for the season because of a non-contact injury he sustained in practice this week. ... Senior receiver Pharaoh Brown left the game with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.On Stanfords side, wide receiver Francis Owuso and safety Zach Hoffpauir did not play because of injuries. ... Defensive end Solomon Thomas appeared to injure his ankle in the first half. Shaw said afterward he was cleared to go back in the game but didnt because of the score.QUOTABLE: Hes the tone setter. Hes the guy that we have that the other teams dont have. And if we give him an opportunity to make plays, he never disappoints, Shaw said of McCaffrey.UP NEXTStanford: The Cardinal visit California for the Big Game before finishing the season at home against Rice.Oregon: The Ducks visit Utah next Saturday before finishing up with rival Oregon State to the north in Corvallis. ' ' '