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! 

6/28: Hardest thing you have ever experienced?

I intended to answer questions from my 28 Things Challenge one day at a time, for the entire month of February. Obviously, it did not go as planned due to my busy work schedule. I will continue to answer each question but at my own pace. So please be patient, thank you. 

28 Things Challenge

Life has a way of throwing you curve balls every now and then. I've had my share, including the death of my stepfather when I was 11 years old. His passing was so sudden and unexpected that I didn't get the chance to say goodbye. Something that I still struggle with till this day.

But while that was tough, nothing can compare to a time in my life when I felt so helpless. What should of been an exciting time of self-discovery and meeting new people, was also my lowest point.

It all happened a few years back when I was in college. From the start, I hated my major. I hated my classes. The only real reason I was even there was because it was the perfect opportunity to finally runaway from home. I was very shy, so making new friends didn't come easy. I met a couple of people through various organizations, but deep down I felt so alone. After a series of self-esteem issues, financial hardships and break-ups, I began to develop negative feeling about myself. 

Things only got worse when I moved off campus. I isolated myself even more and soon turned those negative feelings into anger. I valued my self-worth by those who loved me and I didn't love myself. In fact, I hated myself. I was such a negative person, nobody wanted to be around me. That was just the type of energy I brought along. This anger soon turned into a serious of violent behavior.

I was so ashamed of my actions that I couldn't anyone about this. So one afternoon, I walked over to the school's counseling center and spend hours telling this complete stranger everything I was too embarrassed to admit to myself. I was finally exposed and I felt so relieved. 

After months of counseling sessions, my energy, confidence and attitude about life began to change. I picked up running again and finished my first half-marathon. Sadly by that time I was already in a financial mess that I had to put school on hold.

It's been three years since I moved back home and it's not always been easy. At first, it was frustrating to feel like I was making progress but not fast enough. I was no longer on track of my "five year plan" that I had after high school. 

But these past few months, I've been experiencing something amazing. I've had new people come into my life along with new opportunities and adventures. I'm learning something new about myself everyday. I'm starting to finally embrace the person that I'm becoming. As of right now, I'm not where I want to be, but I'm very thankful that I'm not where I use to be. I'm taking this time as an opportunity to get back to the drawing board and writing my new plan in life. Because at the end of the day, I just have to be the best version of myself.  

I'm not a super awesome writer so hopefully I got my message across. Thank you for reading!

Pick a random question and submit your answer in the comment box, You can remain anonymous.

5/28: 5 Things That Make Me Happy Right Now

Part of my 28 Things Challenge


1. Quality time with friends. If only they knew how much I cherish those moments. 

2. Running. It gives me peace of mind.

3. Helping others. Call it cliché, but it's a requirement for those in pursuit of happiness. 

4. Getting things done at work. In the words of Stephen Hawking, "Never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it."

5. Time Alone. Although I enjoy my time with family and friends, I'm the happiest when I'm alone. It should not be confused with being sad, lonely or depressed. I get to explore my thoughts and make sure I'm staying true to myself.  

Pick a random question and submit your answer in the comment box, You can remain anonymous. This should be fun! 

4/28: 10 Things I Would Tell My 16 Year-Old Self

Part of my 28 Things Challenge


1. It's okay if you are not the popular kid in school. Take your best friend over a group of "friends" any day.

2. Take those AP classes seriously. You will regret it when you get to college.

3. Don't feel bad that you never had the latest pair of Jordans because guess what: IT DOESN'T FUCKING MATTER. 

4. Joining cross country was a defining moment because it saved your life.

5. Don't be ashamed to be a nerd. You are ahead of the game.

6. You are not FAT! Trust me you will know what fat is once you get to college. #Freshman15 

7. Your mom is always right.  

8. You will lose friends over the silliest reasons so don't hold grudges. 

9. Enjoy the summer and winter breaks. You will never have that kind of leisure time in the adult world.

10. Even though you'll eventually have to get a job and pay bills, there will be better days ahead. So relax, have fun and listen to what I just told you! 

Pick a random question and submit your answer in the comment box, You can remain anonymous. This should be fun!