i will. i will. protect this house.

A little dramatic for a 3k but it was a lot of fun getting hype for our 28 minute run! Under Armour provided the slogan and I pretty much ran with it. (Wow, bad pun!) Our pregame show took longer than the race itself. We joked about the slogan and watched youtube commercials for inspiration and "battle" preparation. We woke up in plenty of time to get on our gear and get to the race but for some reason (being brown) we had to rush to fill out our applications, dodge through the walkers since we missed the runners and then searched to meet up with a fellow runner.

But as I started running through Howarth Park and going through one of my old neighborhoods, I just felt good! I had my people around me and they took turns running by my side.

The sun was shining and there were so many different kinds of people out for the event. Families, businesses, non-profits, soccer teams, friends and so many communities represented Sonoma County. I felt like I had my own team with me--my parents and the whole house woke up early on a Saturday morning (6:30 am is really early for us). Four of us geared up and ran 1.8 miles. My cousin retraced her steps just to fall in line with us. My cousin hesitant to run in the first place ended up running with a bag full of stuff because there was nowhere to check it in.

My sister had a 15 hour work day on Friday, came home and packed before we headed to Santa Rosa at midnight.

My sister's boyfriend made us tea in the morning and pretty much shortened his stride (he's 6' tall) to my 5' tall mini-stride most of the way. My youngest sister took pictures of us at the finish line and beamed a georgous smile and gave me a huge hug.

My parents hosted brunch for us and I received texts from friends and family checking on my inaugural run.

Did I mention I ran 1.8 miles for 28 minutes? It's difficult not to downplay it because it seems so short in comparison to every other "K" distance out there. But as one of the runner's wrote when he sent me this picture, "visual evidence of our epic run", I can't help but feel that way.

There was an epic amount of support for me on Saturday. It's crazy to think that on February 1, 2010 I could only run for one minute at a time and it was very, very difficult! I don't think I really knew if could really do this running thing. Many others did and still do. They run with me, they ask how my running is going, they get up early, drive late, buy me running gear, make me breakfast, slow their pace, and the list goes on and on.

This amount of love and support is epic. I am equally grateful and appreciative.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Group Cause

Saturday, May 8 is the Human Race in Santa Rosa. I'm really excited to run with a bunch of people and change up my routine. I mapped my usual running route and it's not much shorter than a 3K. Phew! I think the race course has a slight hill but I'm gonna be running with some family and so I think it will be easy-er than what I anticipated. There's a family rate that we can pay for all of us to run--we'll get bang for our buck and so now I opened it up to anyone and everyone who can run a couple of miles.
I spent most of last weekend in Santa Rosa with family and really witnessed my parents generation get together with their cousins...they laughed and danced and sang. I wonder where I get it!
I really like the idea of my family coming together to do something physical, fun and together.
I'm a lucky girl to have so much support around me. I'll post a picture of just how much support came out that day!

long week

I've exercised once this week and it feels like forever ago. I'm finally gonna go on a run tonight and I'm excited and scared. It might be really painful. I'm finding that I need to really recommit myself to my workouts and health. I'm struggling right now!
I'm gonna try and really get outside this weekend--it's supposed to be beautiful. I can't wait!

sunshine and nostalgia

This weekend was beautiful. I spent time at my parent's place and was able to catch a little league game. I love that hometown feeling of baseball in the park. Did a slight jog to the park and walked back to my parents place. I didn't really get my full hour of exercise but I did a good amount of walking. Sunday was a glorious day back in SF. My cousin and friend had our traditional breakfast on Balboa Street at Cinderella Bakery...Cappuccino and Croissant (yes, they should be capitalized). Somehow we were finally convinced to ride our bikes through the park and play some soccer. It was really laid back until I decided to play "Monkey in the Middle"--kinda got me winded. Playing soccer is so nostalgic and yet a painful reminder of how out of shape I really am and how long ago I played the game. I wish I never stopped. The bike adventure continued through the park as we watched roller bladers, skaters, skaterboarders of all ages on the blacktop. They always play such good jams too. Moseying on down toward the museums we stopped at the lindy hoppers. Ella Fitzgerald and Beyonce blared through the park within the same half hour. Our two wheel adventure left the park to get some deli sandwiches and then we rode our bikes home. Overall it felt good to get a lot of sunshine and get out of the house. I'm learning that I really have to workout on purpose or my heart rate just doesn't get to where it needs to go.

co-ordinate

Bless! So I think I'm coordinated but then I took a Zumba class and figured out that I'm not. Plain and simply, I can shake it in the club but a Dancer I am not! No matter though because I had a lot of fun attempting to shake everything my mama gave me and more. I need to practice my moves in the mirror like my sister. The class was an hour long and I sweat soo much! We did merengue, salsa, cha cha, flamenco, reggaeton, samba and some afro-latin moves too. I'm definitely gonna go back and hopefully master hopping backwards. I can't remember the dance we were doing but the instructor explained it saying it's a backwards hop. Theoretically it sounds easy since I know how to hop forward but practically, there's something missing. Bless!

run shy

Knowing that I have to run for 25 minutes straight is intimidating. My sister made a good point though...it's difficult to run at your peak every day so maybe I should change it up a bit. I've come up with a weekly plan. I'm running for most days and I have one day completely free from a schedule. I also read in Runner's World that if you're trying to lose weight (which I am) then I have to workout for 60 minutes per day. That means I have to up the ante and move for a little longer. Here's what I gonna do:

Monday: Light Run/Walk
Tuesday: 25-30 min Run / 35-30 min Walk
Wednesday: Zumba
Thursday: 25-30 min Run / 35-30 min Walk
Free Friday
Saturday: Anything Active i.e. tennis, soccer, walk to the beach, Zumba, yoga
Sunday: 25-30 min Run / 35-30 min Walk

Today is my first Zumba class! I'm excited to dance and sweat!

i am a runner

I ran for 25 minutes straight today and from now on, I just keep running. My C25K program hasn't officially ended but I'm done with the run/walk portion and now it just tells me to run for time. It's a scary place to be but it's an amazing feeling. There's nothing to fall back on and nothing to stop for. I can do it and that's almost as difficult to admit as not being able to do it. I have no more excuses because I've been training to eliminate them. I feel vulnerable and afraid to succeed. The most difficult part of succeeding and going for my goals is that I'm invested. The stakes are higher because I care. I become accustom to mediocre and settling for okay. To try and fail or heaven forbid, to try and succeed seemed like too much to risk. For such a long time I couldn't handle either outcome. I was fragile and depressed and fearful of what might happen. I didn't have to change but I was definitely at a crossroads for the millionth time. I chose differently in January and I've been making small changes that hopefully keep adding up.

I continue to chip away at my fears but to put my success and accomplishment simply, i am a runner!