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.

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. 

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!

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

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Song of the moment

I've been jammin to this song for over a week. I'm in love.