Angela Powers – iCan Athlete Spotlight – 9/16/12

Hi. My name is Angela Powers and I am a recovering victim, who used to be held down by Fear of Failure, Fear of Success, Fear of living and being happy to live.

I have three young girls and want to keep their lights shining bright, and their dreams big with a “stop at never attitude”. So to practice what I preach, I had to jump and hope that when I fall I will learn something from it, and get back up and start again. Failure is only a stepping stone and not a road block in my life anymore.

So here I am, having joined the iCan Team. With that one decision, God has blessed my life with a team that is encouraging even when they are down. It is amazing to me that complete strangers have become my most cherished friends. I cannot thank them enough.
This journey is not about how fast I reach the finish line, but the fact that I am not afraid to start; and when I cross the finish line, I am not afraid to accept that I am a winner for completing 26. 2 Miles.

Through the “Go Giver” spirit of Loran, Leah, Abra, and my daughter, Taylor I leaped again into what I believe I was born to do: Pay it forward by giving kids and parents what I wished for as a child, which is high self-confidence and a Mentor. On August 12, 2012 I launched an 8 week I AM Program. It currently has 11 (8-10 year old) wonderfully awesome girls (and their Moms/Dad). The I Am Team is a self-esteem builder and running clinic. We would like to invite anyone who wants to join us or cheer us on in the 5K Walk/Run on October 13th for the Free To Breathe run at Raccoon River, West Des Moines with a 9:00 am race start. This will be the first 5K most of these girls have ever done and I cannot wait to see their sense of accomplishment because they are working so hard to reach this goal.

So, thank you Loran, because the iCan experience turns out not to be just about running, it is about changing lives and I finally get It.

I saved the best and biggest thank you for last. That is to my husband for all the extra duties he has endured because of my early runs and long runs. It is a very selfless act on his part, and I appreciate everything he does so that I can be a better me.