The Rose Stank

Sunday, October 7, I ran my 5th half marathon, the Tyler Rose. It was being held at the Tyler, Texas Rose Garden as part of the annual rose festival. Myself and two of my running buddies drove to Tyler late Saturday afternoon, in time to attend the race expo. The race expo turned out to be a showcase of 3 vendors. We were a little disappointed, but received some samples to try. We all tried the Rehydrate which was pretty tasty. They also kindly pointed out we were the other group from Dallas. Black Girls Run, have running shoes, will travel.

After we left the expo, we headed for our hotel room. Several BGR members had booked rooms at the Fairfield Inn, which made it easier to communicate with one another. We got checked-in, dropped our bags off, then headed out to find something to eat. The desk clerk gave us the directions to the Olive Garden. The wait list at Olive Garden was 45 minutes to 1 hour, which gave us time to do a little window shopping.

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel. After showering, we all relaxed to watch some TV. Chris was our "chaperon", she made sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed. She kept telling us to go to sleep. 5 am alarm, I wasn't ready to get up. We slowly moved around, got dressed and headed for a quick breakfast.

All the BGR members met up at the Rose Garden Convention Center. BGR East Texas showed us so much hospitality. They greeted us with signs of pinkness. The Collin County Cuties were sporting their new t-shirts. They were also celebrating Ami being a breast cancer survivor. So the color pink fitted perfectly with the day’s theme.

After taking several pre-race pictures and posing for the video, it was time to start the half. 8 am, the start clock went off. It was kind of slow getting started because the start chute was very narrow.

We all started off together until it was time to break off into our different paces. I was trying to keep up with Annie, but with a sore shin, I had drop back. Since Cheryl and Ve were doing this race as a training run for their marathon, they were keeping their pace between 12-13. I could hang with them.

Within the first mile, we had already encountered 3 hills. That's when I decided to start counting the hills. I knew we had a hilly course, I wasn't expecting what was a head of us. Before we reached the 6 mile mark, we were up to the teens in the hill count. Number 19 was a beast, it had to be over a mile long, by the time I reached the top, I was cussing.

Hill 20something, we started to notice the distance markers were not accurate. I had forgot to restart my watch after one of our potty breaks, but my distance was ahead of the markers. Ve's watch was also ahead of the markers. When my watch said 11 and the marker said 10, I was ready to quit. I had hit my wall. Cheryl quickly said get your mind focused.

At hill 34, I was pissed and extremely worn out. From my lower back to the soles of my feet, I was in pain. The raggedy roads on this course had taken their toll. This police officer must have noticed because he got on his loud speaker and said, this is the last steep hill, one more then you’re done, don't give up. Whew, I needed that boost.

As we rounded the last corner, there stood Annie and Chris. When I say a blessing to my eyes, it's just what my sore body needed. Annie said I'm going to run you through and she did. Chris stayed back to encourage the other BGR members behind us.

After a couple of seconds of rest, we headed back to the course to cheer the other ladies in. The policeman that encouraged us, was driving beside the Collin County Cuties encouraging them. This was Kimberly’s first half and she was in tears, so I ran with her even though my legs were killing me, she needed to finish strong. At the finish line, we had a BGR celebration. Even with the 35 hills of hell, some of the ladies PRed. Double celebration.

After the Injury

I really got into running to my surprise, fell in love with it. Then the injury occurred in September. Running in the incorrect shoes, on the wrong type of surface and not stretching properly. Shin splints, painful shin splints. The doctor told me I would have to rest, not quit, but rest. Did I listen, nope, I had two already paid for races in October, The Tyler Rose and the Allstate 13.1. I wanted those medals and I got them plus more pain.

After the Tyler Rose, the worse race course thus far in my running career, caused more damage. I had to revert to flat shoes, unfortunately, I only had one pair that I could wear to work. Then there was the Allstate 13.1; I promised my running buddy Chris I would run with her, this would be her first half marathon. Another big mistake for me. So after October 27, I sat my butt still. I have to admit, I had planned to sneak a race in on my visit to Atlanta, but commonsense stepped in.

On December 15, the training began again. I’m a little nervous of getting reinjured and I’ve gotten lazy on Saturday morning. I no longer have the desire to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to run, especially in the cold. My bed just swallows me up. While everyone else in BGR is finishing up their runs, I’m starting mine.

I’m sticking to the training plan, running at my pace. I was never really big on speed drills, but this time around, I’ll do them properly. I’ve done some reading on my own instead of just listening to the advice of more seasoned runners. When I run my two half marathons in February, I will not try to keep up with anyone, nor will I try to slow down for anyone. 2013 races will be about me slowly decreasing the amount of time to it takes me to complete a half.

This Too Shall Pass, Just Hold On

This too shall pass, just hold on, those are the words I received from the Lord, March 2006. I was in the middle of Lent, saying a prayer, when the Lord told me He was about to take me through several storms. During these storms, He said I would lose everything but my home. The Lord said I would struggle with my home because I willfully disobeyed His instructions. I thought I heard Him incorrectly, but as time passed and things started to fall apart in my life, I knew I heard His words correctly.

My relationship started having some serious issues, but I fought to save it until I finally couldn’t take the drama any longer. I fell behind on my car note and voluntarily surrendered my 2003 Nissan Altima back to the dealer. So from March 2006 to now, I have had 4 cars. Then there was the employment situation, I was terminated. Thankfully I obtained a temporary job 3 days later. By the end of the year I was working 3 jobs and going to school. My house has flooded and has been hit by lightening. Every utility was turned off at one time or another. We had to piece together meals.

Those were just some of the things that were occurring in my life. But the biggest was my mortgage, each month I got further and further behind. Thanks to Countrywide for racking up all the miscellaneous fees and applying majority of my payments towards the fees. Each modification put me further behind instead of helping me to get caught up. I spent one year paying double payments and I still remained behind.

Then President Obama started initiating several Making Homes Affordable programs. One particular program, I read about on the DC Sistagirls group page. So I called Bank of America, which bought out Countrywide, and inquired about the possibility of me being eligible. That call was last year, but on Monday, July 30, my acceptance package arrived by FedEx. I was only able to pull the paperwork halfway out of the envelope when I noticed the new monthly payment amount. I dropped the envelope and started jumping up and down screaming thank you, thank you. I screamed and jumped until I broke out in tears of thankfulness. Tiger came barking into my room because he thought I was being attacked. I called my best friend Jo, I was crying so hard she had to help me get the words out. Every time I tried to tell someone about my blessing, I would start crying.

Not everyone knows what all I have experienced these last couple of years. I’ve had one lady that insisted that I walk away from my home like she and her husband did. I’ve watch several of my neighbors, married couples lose their homes. I’ve had someone say I hope you lose your house for not sharing your money. But the biggest question, how are you able to maintain your home and still do all those activities. My answer, ask God why He has allowed me to keep my home. Because that was one of the questions I asked myself. Why me? I got my answer last year while sitting in church. Bishop TD Jakes answered it, because you are a tither. A tither. That name alone put my mind and heart to rest. I knew at that moment somehow, God was about to turn things around for me. I continually wondered how, tried to figure out how, guessed how it would happen. But never in my wildest imagination did I think He would wipe the past due amount away all at once, not small increments, but all at once. Past due amount gone, monthly payments dropped, and interest rate dropped by 2.25%. Effective August 1, 2012, my mortgage storm came to an end all because I trusted God and believed Him when He said “this too shall pass, just hold on".

The Cholesterol Moved

Have you ever run so hard you could feel something moving on the inside? Well, that’s what it felt like yesterday, I could feel the cholesterol moving out of my heart valves. I completed my 3^rd half marathon, the Hot Mama Virtual Half Marathon held by Moms Run This Town Online Running Group. July 28 was its usual hot day, the morning temperature at 6 am was 79 and the heat index was predicted to be 105-108. My running group set a plan to start running at 6 am, our normal start time on Saturdays, but of course I was running late. When I finally made it to River Legacy Park in Arlington, a 30 minute, non-traffic drive from my house, everyone had already started. I started 10:45 after everyone; I could see the other runners approach the other side of the 1.9 mile loop as I started. I thought to myself, I’ll catch up with someone; someone is going to run out of gas.

I made the first loop at a pace of 11:39, I’m doing good, I thought to myself. My instructions were to enter the path at the second entrance, I did but I didn't see anyone. So I ran back off the trail and ran to the third entrance, I still didn’t see anyone, but decided to proceed anyway. A little about River Legacy Park, it’s heavily wooded area where wildlife like to hangout. The trails are color marked by distance. I was on the blue trail, all alone and I realized I left my mace in my car, dang it. I thought it might be a good idea to pick up my pace. Then a biker passed me, so I thought I need to keep sight of him. Did the best I could but who was I kidding, he was going over 20 mph, I was only averaging in the single digits. But thanks to him, I was able to complete mile 2 and 3 at 11:39 and 11:01 pace.

Usually after mile 3, I walk to regain my energy, but I heard my running buddy Marilyn, saying Lenora you can do 4 miles nonstop, so I kept moving. I decided I would start my run/walk intervals at mile 5, but the Black Eyed Peas song “Let’s Get It Started” came on, so I decided to run through this song. The song took me straight into mile 6. I stopped running to take a drink break and adjust my hydration belt; I looked up to see Sarah aka Speed Angel (pace 7-8) heading back. That’s when I decided I needed to hurry to the turnaround point because I would definitely catch up with the slower pace runners. When I made it to the turnaround, I didn’t see anyone but since I took the wrong path in the beginning, I was ahead of the mile markers, so I turned around to head back. My goal was to slowly run miles 7-9. I heard and saw something moving in the bushes and got scared, then I heard “Hey Girlie” from behind me on the trail, it was Awesome Alice, so I decided to keep up with her. She had me moving faster than I have ever ran and further than I planned to run nonstop, I could actually feel the cholesterol moving out of my heart valves. Alice got me to the end of trail with only 1.5 miles to go. Now I could walk, that’s when the confusion set in, I look at my watch incorrectly and read that I needed to complete 2 miles, so I jumped back on the blue trail, twice before hitting the final loop. Confusion still working because I couldn’t tell which direction to run. There was also another race, so since I kept running in circles, I was confusing their race monitors.

Finally, I told myself to get off the trail and just run to the finish line, but I still was reading my watch incorrectly, so I ran past the finish line to loop around and come back after I reached 13 miles. That’s when it dawned on me to stop and check my watch; it read 12.95, well I’ll be darned. I turned around and headed back, finish line in sight; but no silly me trying to turn off my music, I hit the stop button. I had to re-start my watch to get the remaining .06 to have an official distance. I finished with an official time of 2:32:44, my best time to date. I really am a Hot Mama that runs.

The Invasion of My Body - Part 2

On May 14, I had my follow-up appointment. What I thought was going to be a biopsy, turned into another mammogram. This one was going to be centered on the spots only. Wait spots, what the heck do you mean spots. The rad tech informed me the first mammogram indicated 3 spots, 1 on the right and 2 in the left breast. Now I'm concerned because I'm looking at the X-ray film and I can see the spots before she points them out. That film made them look extra large. All I could think of is do I really want to be a C cup and buy new bras or stay a B cup, just get my girls more firm. I know, a strange thing to think about while staring at lumps in my breast.

This mammogram was a lot more painful because two of the spots were located near the wall of my chest. It took a lot of maneuvering to get my breast in the correct position. Needless to say I was irritated during the whole process. The tech kept saying she was sorry. By the way, if you know you will be talking directly in patients' faces, and you drink coffee, it should be mandatory to use breath mints. Finally, after an hour, it was over. She said stay here while I make sure the film is correct. It had better be correct and it was. The doctor comes in about 15 minutes later and said everything was fine. Cool I thought, I just need to cut back on the caffeine in take.

Well cool until I talked to my sister Crystal. She strongly suggested to me that I needed biopsies because of our family history of breast cancer. My sister, 2 cousins and an aunt. Not to discount my dad had prostate cancer that spreaded through his whole body. So I made my third breast appointment, but this time with a breast surgeon. I'm really getting tired of them playing with my girls.

The Invasion of My Body - Part 1

Some how I knew before they found it. I had a prophetic dream several months ago. April 2, I went for my annual mammogram, annual rape session as I call it along with my annual pap smear. Something was different during this exam, it hurt more than normal.

One week later, the letter came in the mail. I started not to open it because I assumed it was the same as last year. I open it, speed reading through what I thought was a normal paragraph. But the part about further testing stopped my eyes. Okay, did I read that correctly. So I read it again. My honest reaction, aww hell. Not the cutting of my body again. The last time I had a lump was in 1998, a benign lump.

My reaction led me to call my prayer sister Felicia. I said look, they found something during my mammo screening so let's pray to God that its nothing because I'm really enjoying my life. I don't want anything to interfere with my running. Plus I don't have time to keep going to doctor appointments, I finally have my natural hair acting accordingly, no need for chemo. But....if this my destiny, then the breast is coming off, I'm getting a tummy tuck so I can use the fat from stomach to increase my breast to a C cup. Then I can bring bra tops back in style for the 50 and over ladies. Of course Felicia laughs and calls me a fool.

Then I texted my girl Mae, she always provides me with some hidden spiritual knowledge. She said don't stress, we'll go to the doctor together, then afterwards out to eat. We always have great conversations over food and drinks. My most memorable is the first time she saw me actually drink some alcohol. Shocked her so much, she stopped drinking.

I decided not to tell my best friend Jo because she has enough on her plate in regards to her own health. I waited until I had my girls together to tell them. We were having one our mother/daughters talk. Like clock work, they went on to the next subject. I have the best daughters. I told my sister Crystal because I knew she would have something positive, worry free to say.

Anyway, for some reason, which I feel is stupid, I needed permission from my GYN to have the further testing conducted. And that's where the problem began. I have a great GYN doctor, but this current nurse, is an issue. She failed to send the medical order to the breast imaging center. It took a third call from me before she finally responded. I think me letting her know that this is my body and she isn't allowed to drag her feet got her attention. Plus I sounded mean, like don't make me show up in the office voice.

I was okay about the invasion until I felt the lump. I was like hmmm, that's kind of big. I told the Lord I would be really upset if I have to stop running or I couldn't celebrate my 50th birthday in Miami at the Rock N Roll Half. And of course peace covered me. He said this isn't about you. All I could say was okay.

My Second Half Marathon

Today (6/10/12), I ran my second half marathon, the Wounded Warrior Half. This wasn’t a good race for me because I originally wanted to participate, but later changed my mind. I changed my mind because I knew I wasn’t really prepared for this race, lack of training. Since I convinced the other ladies of my running group to participate, it would have been wrong for me not to participate. Even though I finished 71 out of 99 in my age group of 45-49, I did pretty well for my first run in the Texas sun, 2:47:10. My body overheated and I completely lost all energy at mile 10.

Miles 1-6, I ran a 4:1 interval. Miles 7-10, I ran 3:1 interval. After mile 10, I was doing whatever I needed to get to the finish line. My feet and shins hurt, my sunglasses and sun visor began to give me a headache. I couldn’t get the water in my mouth fast enough. I didn’t know if my body was wet from sweating or the water I kept pouring on me.

At mile 11, some man came up behind me and two other women to give us some encouragement to finish. The four of us headed to the finish line together to end this race. Mile 11.5, I said bump this, I’m walking. Then that man showed up again. I finally made it to mile 12, but my body said “I think you need to walk”, so I did. Mile 12.5, I started running again. Thank God for Keisha being right at the finish line, she caught me as I collapsed. I remember Marilyn, Desiree, and Chandra helping me to the shade. They immediately started giving me fluids to drink. Marilyn held onto me the entire time. The plus about this route, no hills and the route shower.

After a few moments, we walked over to the food table to eat. My biggest mistake was drinking Muscle Milk. I knew I didn’t like the chocolate, so I thought I would try the vanilla crème. It tasted good going down, but afterwards it made me extremely sick. So sick, I became nauseous and almost passed out. The curb wasn’t a hard seat and in the right place. I don’t know who put the ice pack on my neck and I don’t know who started praying, but I felt the cool breeze that overcame my body. Now I’m convinced Muscle Milk is the devil’s brew.

I’m also glad I carpooled with Marilyn because there was no way I would have been able to drive home. Once I did get home, I took a luke warm shower and a four hour nap. I would have probably slept longer, but Tiger (my dog) wanted some one on one attention.

Lessons from this half: (1) never run without proper training; I didn’t train for this half; (2) Texas heat is no joke (90^o and 57% humidity); proper and continuous hydration is a must; (3) it’s great to have a cheering squad at the finish line; and (4) I have more determination then I thought. I also gained a huge appreciation for my daughters, they both ran summer track, and now I know how they felt all those years. Now time to focus on the Too Hot Too Handle 15K in July and the Hottest Half in August; and to increase my cross training to build up my endurance.

Bucket List Has Another Check Mark

Today I accomplished something I never thought I would ever want to achieve, I finished a half marathon. Yep me, Lenora No Middle Name Hearst. To think when Crystal and Warren asked me to get into running, I had only planned on participating in 5K and 10K races, nothing more. But through their encouragement and the support of Black Girls RUN! Dallas, especially Alice, Sarah, and Marilyn, and my coworker Brandon, I was able to tackle my first half marathon. I finished the Big D Texas Half Marathon in 2:44:47, 69^th in my age group out of 98. Not bad for a first timer. And I finished vertically and uninjured.

I am on such a spiritual high. Today I had another spiritual connection to God through the weather. I didn’t see the rain as a hindrance; it was a gift to keep me cool. The wind that slowed me down at mile 6 was used to control my speed which helped me to reserve my energy for the hills I was about to overtake. My running buddy, Marilyn was a true Angel when it came to our last hill. I got into the middle of this steep hill and just stopped; my legs shutdown. But instead of leaving me, she came back to walk the hill with me. Soon after, we had a slight down pour, but to me, it was the Angels crying with tears of joy because we overcame every one of those hills. Around miles 10 and 11, the thunder started, but I heard Angels running to the finish line to greet us as we crossed it.

The biggest joy, my BGR sisters at the finish line cheering us through. Some of these ladies didn’t even run today, but they made sure they would be at the finish line. It was a celebration for us all. It was a first race distance for many of us. Our 5K ladies completed their first of many races, and they now have their eyes set on their first half marathon. They amazed themselves with their finishing times.

As for me, at this point in life, the half is all I need to accomplish. I would like to travel to all 50 states to obtain a finishers medal in each state. Hopefully, Hubby-to-be will have the same goal. But right now, I’ll just tackle the ones in Texas. I said by my 50^th birthday, I would have one half completed, well Bucket List has another check mark.

Thank You Lord for blessing me with a can do spirit and a mind to see a closed door to others as a door that needs to be kicked down. 

Before the race

Who said Black Girls Don't Run?

BGR Dallas Southsiders

Two Goals Accomplished…My Journey to A Half Marathon

On February 25, I accomplished my goal of completing a 10K (6.2 miles) race. I completed the Cowtown 10K in Fort Worth. I was truly surprised by my official time, 1:11:00, an average pace of 11:26 minutes per mile. My pace is decreasing, I haven’t done any speed work, I just want to finish. The stats for this race:

Ø  19 out of 39 for age group 49

Ø  106 out of 199 for age group 45-49

Ø  1377 out of 2360 females

Ø  2807 out of 4173 overall

The bottom line, I finished among a large group of people. We ran several hills, so glad we have hills to train on. I baby stepped the hills, while I saw others either walk them or ran them full force, more power to them.

My other goal I accomplished occurred on March 10, The Leaping Leprechaun 15K (9.3 miles) in McKinney. My official time was 1:44:41, an average pace of 11:15 per mile. After viewing the posted results, I received the 3^rd place medal by default, the ladies that came in before me left before the official results were posted. So the medals were given to the people that stayed around. The stats for this race:

Ø  2 out of 3 for age group 49

Ø  7 out of 9 for age group 45-49

Ø  85 out of 98 females

Ø  173 out of 190 overall

This morning didn’t start off to well, Friday night menstrual cramps kicked in. I woke up Saturday morning in so much pain. I asked God to please allow me to complete this race without vomiting. He granted my request, He allowed me to make it home.

This race had a lot of hills, I mean a lot. More hills than the Cowtown, I stopped counting. It didn’t rain as forecasted, another prayer answered. My GPS distance was inaccurate because it officially indicates I ran 11 miles.

Things I have learned from these two races, don’t try to run with a partner because your individual paces are different. Don’t plan races around your menstrual cycle; check your calendar before paying for a race. Get a better GPS. Have your own after race snacks, just in case the food is either gone or everyone is allowed to pick through the food, yuck. I need to continue to practice running with my fuel belt, the water bottles irritate my back after mile 5. And most importantly I need to get pass the 4 mile “what the heck am I thinking” wall. This thought pops in my head every time I run pass 4 miles.

My next race, The Big D Texas Half Marathon, on April 15, 13.1 miles. No more races under 6 miles for me.

2012 Leaping Leprechaun 15K

2012 Cowtown 10K

1/29/12-2/12/12 My Journey to A Half Marathon

I started training for my half on January 30. Needless to say I'm not enjoying it but I like it, if that makes sense. I'm not used to running 4 days a week, it's totally different from working out 5 days a week. My legs muscles are really forming.
I definitely need another pair of running shoes, well two pairs. After 3 miles, my feet start feeling numb. Tingly like when a body part goes to sleep. I hope it's only because my feet are getting use to running.
Saturday, the ladies of BGR volunteered at a 5K/15K race, the Hot Chocolate Run. I learned a very valuable lesson, don't drink the water from the cups. We were instructed to use the water from the fire hydrates. Yes, the fire hydrate. They used unlined trash cans until the race official directed them to line the cans with plastic bags. The 10 gallon jugs they were using were dirty. We were not given gloves to wear. I truly hope no one gets sick.
After my experience of volunteering my next investment will be a hydration belt. I know my water comes from a filter source.
Sunday, became my default long day. God sent me a messenger named Bridgette. She gave me some knowledge and great tips about running. Especially my eating. I now know not to ever eat Chinese takeout for I run, talk about ready to puke. I also learned not to run while I'm cramping, it increased the pain. I having serious trouble walking, every part of my lower body hurts.
I also need to increase my water intake on a daily basis. And add water while running. I thought drinking before running was good but it isn't. I need to sip water during my runs.
After each mile I add on each week, I ask myself do I really want to do this. I must because each week I plan my runs. And every Monday and Wednesday night, I pack my running bag.
P.S. When training with Bridgette, wear an adult diaper because she will have you laughing so hard you just might pee your pants.

12/17/11 Journey to A Half Marathon

Today I was able to thank God for allowing me to grow up in Omaha, Nebraska because the temperature was 36 degrees. I remember that would the high temp in Omaha all day, at moments. So when some of the ladies complained about it being cold outside, I said to myself, at least I'm not waking up to zero below, with a wind chill factor temps. I bundled up and got to moving. I really need to invest in some Under Armour sports clothes, highly recommended for cold temperatures.
Today, also I'm proud of myself because I've dropped my mile per minute down to 11.5 and I made it up to 4 miles. We had a mini celebration on our Facebook group page because one of the ladies was able to walk 2 miles. One of the things I like about Black Girls Run, the women are so positive. Every accomplishment is celebrated.

I didn't make my goal of being injury free. I have so much stress built up that I can't move my neck or left shoulder every well. The stress is from stepping out of God's way and letting Him handle business, which means He still isn't allowing me to respond to things the way I use too. One of the other joys of running, I really get to hear God talking to me. I'm learning to listen to Him, follow His direction. I've learn to be silent through some personal attacks. Like the one from my co-worker last Thursday. She tried her best to get me terminated or suspended, but it backed fired on her and I ended up preventing her from being suspended or terminated. By right, I should have punched her in the face. And I think I was headed in that position when my supervisor intervened, that's when I heard God say sit back, close your mouth, allow her to bury herself. Another reason I was hurt by her attack, I've have been defending her to my other coworkers.

Back to running. I learned a valuable lesson yesterday, don't eat a banana before a run, it doesn't sit well on the stomach, at least not mine. I'll stick with the yogurt and peanut butter toast. Oh by the way, if you haven't, you need to try the all natural peanut butter, talk about delicious.

With one week completed using B210K, I'm feeling pretty good about myself. Both my daughters are focusing on me and my lifestyle changes. My role as mother has switched to Life Coach. Another benefit of running, I don't get upset with my daughters the way I used too. I can see the Holy Spirit transforming them.

Also, since running, I don't care too much for fast foods anymore. My focus is slowly shifting back to cooking. I'm going to need those skills back in full function come June.

Monday I'm making an appointment with a chiropractor. All the serious runners recommend seeing one regularly. I'm going to the foot to make sure I haven't permanently loss two of my toenails, one of the disadvantages of running. I'm also going to get my feet measured for the proper running shoes. I'm seriously thinking about starting to train Skye and Payton for track. They are at the age where nothing is impossible to them. I'll teach them the open air is all about time with God.

1/1 - 1/28/2012 My Journey to A Half Marathon

So my journey to the half was temporary interrupted by College Algebra, but I passed the class with a B. Yay Me! I finally passed the 5 mile mark and I was so proud of myself. I had to call my long distance coach, Warren, so he could get me through my last two miles. Another reason to love him, because I had been really angry with him and saying some really mean stuff, but when I needed him to wake up and encourage me, he didn't hestitate. Sign of a good man. I accomplished 5.28 miles that Saturday morning.

Today, I didn't fare too well. My leg muscles were a little sore because I added a day of weight training and an extra day of running. I was only able to accomplish 4.80 miles; my legs just wouldn't go any further. After the run today I was hit by positive peer pressure by our other neighborhood leader, whom we call the Motivator. I will be participating in my first half marathon (13.1 miles) on April 15. Since this will be my first half, I'm going to do the jog/walk method. Training starts January 30. I'm a little nervous, but I'm also excited. But since the Motivator made the effort to get us a group discount, I might as well take advantage of it.

The good thing about the training schedule, it works well with my work and school schedule. I had already planned to start doing two a day workouts, three time a week, so I'll be easing into this training. And by the time I'm schedule to run my 10K on February 25, I will already be up to 6 miles. Another great thing about Black Girls RUN!, we have groups almost every where. All you have to do is put in a city, and a group that is close by will pop up. Which is a good thing for my trips to Omaha, because there's a start up group there as well.

And just in case you want to know, running is not a cheap sport. I need to invest in two more pairs of running shoes, my first pair I caught on sale with a BGR discount, $100. I need more clothes to run in because I'm losing inches, therefore the running pants are falling off. I need running socks, the cheapest I found started at $13 for three pairs. I need a running watch and GPS, because running with my phone is getting cumbersome. Then there's the entry fees for the races. Even though I get a discount on races through BGR and Dallas Running Club, I still have to shell out some money.

The upside about running, accomplishing goals I've set for myself. I've always challenged myself to do better, and this has been one of the best challenges thus far. I feel so good after running, I no longer rush home to take a nap because I am so full of energy. My body is slowly toning and I can see the muscles developing in my body. I sleep better at night, no more tossing and turning, straight to sleep. I just feel all around healthy and I know my internal organs are loving it. My stress level has dropped tremendously.

I am living the BGR slogan "Preserving the Sexy" because sexy is healthy. I'm in this MOVEment, no longer part of the WATCHment.