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Sunday, October 26, 2014

No Strangers in Running

 2014 Michelob ULTRA Dallas 13.1 Marathon

Third half-marathon in the books! My attitude going into this race was different and I believe that's what helped me set a new half-marathon PR(personal best). I made adjustments to my running form and my thinking game. I also ran without music, which I usually don't do. On mile 12 I did put on my headphones and listened to Eminem tell me "success is my only motherf*cking option, failure's not!" Can you guess the song? I was running out of mental toughness by then, I needed an extra push.

Anyway, I came to this race solo and left sharing this experience with an unexpected friend.

 about to take off, the sun was not even out.
Races are not as fun when family and friends can't make it out to cheer you on. To my surprise, I ran into Lucy as we were about to take off. Lucy and I went to high school together. At the time I wouldn't had consider her my friend, but more of an acquaintance. She was a friend of a friend, if you get what I mean. As recent as a few months ago, I discovered that we both shared a passion for running. We have kept in touch since then. In the past, we've participated in the same running events but always fail to run into each other. As we set out for the finish line, we wished each other luck.
BEFORE
AFTER

Bringing it home!

Lucy finished with a time of 2:01:59 and as for me I came in at 2:21:07. A NEW PR FOR ME! I tried to get in under 2:20 but that's for next race. I was also happy that my chip time matched exactly with my Garmin watch.

It was thoughtful of her to wait for me after the race. We took pictures and walked around for a bit. We walked more than usual because she didn't know where she'd parked. She was nice enough to give me a ride home :-)


Through running, I've been able to make connections with friends from all over the country. It's amazing to share this passion with others and even more exciting when you see them at the same running events.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Mini Moo Cow Marathon

This was the first race I had some of my family participate. My little niece and nephew ran the marathon race (2.62 miles). It was so fun 
They really enjoyed themselves. It made the this event a lot more fun to see them run with me. 
They didn't know what to expect. They started off fast but advice them to slow down. 
Although it was only 2.62 miles, it felt like forever. They were really excited to cross the finish line. 

Friday, August 1, 2014

Too Hot To Handle 15k - Recap 2014


A week ago I ran the Too Hot To Handle 15k race with my best friend Jarrah. This is our second year in a row participating in this event. Although my time improved by a few minutes, it was still not one of my best races. I fell apart on mile 8 and no matter how close to the finish line I was, I couldn't pull myself through. 
Selfie with my niece before the start.
 I did great for the most part. The first 5 miles were no biggie. As time went by, I couldn't help but to feel the sun burning over my me. The event coordinators did a great job of keeping runners hydrated through the race.



 I'm so happy my sister and niece came to see me. It really makes races feel extra special when your loved ones are there to cheer you on! I'm excited they now want to sign up for a 5k race event next month.
Thanks for visiting and looking forward to sharing many more run adventures with you all!

Sunday, May 4, 2014

New Trail Adventure.


This morning I woke up eager to go for a run. Actually I've been up since 3 am but whatever. I've been wanting to check out this bike/running trail but I didn't want to go alone. So I called up my friend, Jarrah, and practically dragged her out of bed. 


From the moment I got dressed and was headed over there, I was excited.The trail, fairly new, was beautiful and very peaceful. You can tell serious money was put into this project. I was surprised we were the only ones there. We did run into a lady on our way back. Also, I guess we were the only crazy ones to wake up so early on a Sunday morning. 


I want to guess it took us about a mile to reach the Trinity River. Now this river is not popular among Dallas locals. It's sort of an almost-there river.The trail took us near it and also over it, on a bridge that was part of a railroad track, waaaay back in the day. 


Check out my arms. I was thrilled! 



As you can tell we took a lot of pictures. The trail offers great views of downtown Dallas. We did run our way back. I was exhausted towards the end but still happy we got out there. It's not going to be my last time, that's for sure! Check out Santa Fe Trestle Trail's official website for more information. 


#selfietime

* * *
Song of the moment
I've been jammin to this song for over a week. I'm in love. 

Domingo, 5am

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I sit there for hours just thinking.
What I did today. What I should have done. Was I right? Oh did I really just say that?
My mind never sleeps. Unless I read till I doze off. 
It seems to help.
Well not tonight. So here I am.

I'm a very sensitive person. It's my weakness and I hate it. 
I let other people's emotions get to me.
Whether it's positive or negative energy, I allow myself to feel it.
I'm always told to "grow thick skin," but I never listen.
I just get better at not making it look so obvious.
But the feeling is still there.

I'm always quick to trust.
I see the best in others, until I don't.
Then I feel like the biggest idiot and beat myself for being so naive.
Patterns. They don't seem to go away.

But this is who I am. I'll get suck into it.
The energy. The trust.
Over and over again.

Hopefully one day, I'll master the art of sensing others' true intentions from a mile away.
Maybe by then, I'll have enough time to run the other way. 

Friday, April 25, 2014

Lots of contemplating

For the past couple of days I've been contemplating about work, future, friends, love, myself and just life in general. I see myself going through a personal transformation, not intentionally, but I guess the type of change life sort of puts you through as it goes on.

Work. Lately, I've been working longer hours. It doesn't bother me much, unless I've made plans with friends afterwards. I kind of bring this upon myself because I make myself too available. I'm always cleaning up the mess, crossing off ALL items on the checklist, making sure everyone's okay. Call me a mom but I guess that's what happens when you're the only female working in the office. I day dream a lot about my future job. This isn't it. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for the opportunity to hold a position of authority. I'm working on being more self-assertive, voicing my opinions, multitasking and delegating assignments. It can be overwhelming sometimes but when the job gets done, I feel like a total badass! That's the part I enjoy the most and I guess is the reason why I don't mind staying way past closing hours. My intention is to learn as much as I can and obviously apply it to all my future jobs.

Goals. I can't wait to go back to school. I think about it every day, I really do. It's been way over due but if things go according to plan, I should be back by next year. The dilemma I'm facing now is should I finish my degree in business or go for something completely different? I say this because I would like to dive into a career that helps others. I can't envision myself in corporate america, selling products forever. I would like to hold a position where I counsel people, help them reach their full potential. Whether it's in the form of medical, financial or life advice, I want to help those less fortunate. I don't say this to sound like a saint, I really do want to consider social work as a potential career move. Aside from working on figuring out a career, I'm also focusing on training hard for a marathon. I signed up a few days ago for the Dallas Marathon on December 2014. I'll be running 26.2 miles, which sounds crazy right now! I need to find a good pair of shoes and a good training plan to get me through. I'll also be done paying off my car by the end of this year. I'm so excited for 2015!

Friends. In the last few months, new friends have come into my life. The type of friends I pray I'll have forever. It's kind of bittersweet at the same time because I sense my old friends, childhood/high school friends, may feel I'm neglecting them. I've never been the type of person to burn bridges and hold grudges. I never want any of my friends to feel or get the impression they are not important. I love my friends and lately I've been feeling like a shitty friend.

Love. Nothing new here (LOL) I've been asked out on a couple of dates, but I haven't been too interested. I'm seriously the most awkward flirt. I have many personal affairs I want to take care of and a boyfriend is just not a priority. I do get lonely sometimes, but that's it. I don't want to get into a relationship because I'm lonely. People require attention. It would be selfish to jump into a relationship, that I can't make time for. But I can't slack off because I'm single. This lonely-phase is a time for preparation. What I mean by that is I need to work on myself, emotionally, physically, pick up a hobby, learn how to cook, etc. So when that special person comes along, I want be special to him.

Myself. One of the biggest changes in my life has been spiritual. I've been reaching out to God and praying for guidance. I've reading the bible every other day and I'm learning how to pray. It has given me a sense of peace that I've never experienced before. I'm getting a better understanding of who I am, what I like, what I don't like, etc. This will be a lifetime journey and I pray He leads me to my purpose in this life.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Camera Roll: Uno

I picked a random set of pictures in my phone. Nothing super exciting. I'll probably do another round soon. Enjoy.
Morning run at the park. The weather was on point.
At a Texas Rangers game with my friend Palos. He took me there as my birthday present  :-)


At the bookstore trying to learn how to dance like a stripper. Nothing new.

Vintage horror books. Dope.
Before the big change. Bye bye basic wig.
My favorite ring. 

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Felling Like a Kid

A few weeks ago, a friend and I visited the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. It's been a while since I've been to a museum so you can only imagine how excited I was. The place was pack with kids, who were on an actual field trip, which made me feel like a big kid on a field trip as well.

But first let me take a selfie. lol. 
The escalator took us to the very top level of the museum. We started our exploration with a 'journey through the solar system.' I remembered some of this from elementary but it was nice to feel like I was learning something new again. 



We then made our way through the Mesozoic Era. We watched a 3D short film about dinosaurs, which was interesting.


The next level provided some insights about earth, from tornadoes and earthquakes to the production of  natural energy and gas. We even took a virtual trip underground and watched how natural gas was produced.


Huge, not real, drill bit 
My favorite exhibition was the engineering and innovation hall. It was so fun and interactive. I got to play with a couple of instruments, produce some beats, and do a cool drawing that was then projected on a screen. I swear it's more fun than was it sounds. So many things to do!  



We ended our adventure at the sports exhibition hall. It offered a variety of sport activities. One of my favorites was a virtual race against a dinosaur. Imagine running down a bowling lane and a dinosaur, projected on a screen against the wall, racing you. I lost, of course.


There's a lot I left out. If you're in the Dallas area, I highly recommend visiting this place. Perfect for a family trip or even as an adult on a date. I promise you will enjoy it.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Dallas Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon

I ran the Dallas Rock 'n' Roll Half-marathon, my second half, in March. It was honestly one of the best races I've ever had. Going into this race, I was a little nervous. I had slacked off the last weeks of training, the most critical weeks. I had prepared better for the Dallas Marathon in December, but it got cancelled at the last minute. Mentally, I was prepared but physically I just wanted to finish under 2:45. And that's all I was focused on. 
picking up my race bib at the expo, 2 days before race day!
quick selfie before the race!
That morning, Jarrah and I rode the train to the race in downtown. It turned out to be a good idea, since we didn't want to deal with traffic. The race started at 8am, but my corral took off about 15 minutes later. 


I felt great through out the race. At each mile, I was ahead of my anticipated time goal and that got me really excited. I ran nonstop, which is something I don't usually do especially on a long run like this.

Around mile 11, I started to push myself a little harder. By then all I wanted to do was just be done. It almost turned out to be a disaster because I began to get cramps towards the end of mile 12. In fact, one of my legs got numbed. I was like heck no! I did not just run non-stop to let this happened as I am finishing. So it took a lot of positive thinking and pumped up music to get me to the finish line alive. It also helped that my family was there to cheering me on.

Sadly this lady stole my shine... lesson learned: clear your path next time.
All that positive thinking paid off. I finished well under my time goal, and I beat my previous (first)half time as well. 

As soon as I crossed the finished line, I stopped running and had to walk. It felt a bit crowded with both, runners and volunteers everywhere. Volunteers handing water, bananas, etc. Time felt like it was moving slow. In my mind, I my legs felt like they were still moving in a running motion. As I walked passed volunteers, a girl stopped me to hand me my medal. My medal! I almost missed it! I was in such a high, I was just walking like a zombie. They kept handing me all these free goodies. Milk, bananas, towels. A lady saw I was struggling to keep up with all my stuff and offered to helped me. I told her I felt so lost and remembered thanking her. Finally I found my friend, Jarrah. Then my family! 
my family. mom, niece and nephew, tia and cousins. 
We soon took off after that because the weather was a bit chilly. I rewarded myself with some well deserved tacos. After a cold shower, I laid in bed for most of the day. I wasn't as sore the next day as I thought I would be. 

It was an awesome day and I look forward to beating this finished time. Let's see how it goes!