I’m learning lessons of thankfulness every day.
Mar
01
CRC NM will be destroyed on March 14th, as I’m headed by to the crazy buckeye state…And I’m sure to bump into some crazy nuts when I do go looking for a running club after my recovery:)
Nov
18
….but not until 2012 because, apparently, the Boston Marathon registration closed in the first 6hrs after opening.
On the other hand, New York, my 2nd love, will remain nearer and dearer to my heart. I ran my fastest marathon time ever (3:32)! I cannot even begin to articulate my ING NYC Marathon experience. I really want YOU (whoever YOU are) to feel it. It’s like electricity shooting through your body–I felt energized for the 1st twenty miles, hi-5ing everyone I could, accepting paper towels and oranges, but foregoing the vaseline and beer spectators glady supplied 
Talk about a multicultural affair–New York IS Diversity at it’s finest! And I thoroughly enjoyed the mosaic of people the 5 boroughs offered as company throughout the race.
I’ve never felt so content during a run before, as I did amid the sea or runners in the city that never sleeps the morning of Nov. 7th. Crazy how one can find peace during a run in the most kaotic, helter-skelter, bustling city in the United States! It made the perfect dichotomy of my training runs…HA!
I spent the night with a friend on Wall St. the night before, which was PERFECT because the Staten Island Ferry was literally around the corner, so I could sleep a little longer before the race. I chilled at the ferry station for about an hour, as I saw no need to get to the runner’s camp early. I chit-chatted with people from Spain, Italy, Ohio (yep, i spot ‘em anywhere) and Canada while I waited. The ferry ride was super sweet, as the sun was peaking over the city sky scrapers, the Statue of Liberty winked at me as I floated by, and I text a special chillbilly (note: chillbilly is an endearing term for an “easy-going, kick-ass southern ohio runner”). Once in Staten Island, I hopped a bus and struck up conversations with runners from Nassau (bet training for a marathon on a tiny island was rough) and Germany. It was really hitting home now that the race I was about to run was epic; a total international affair that continued upon meeting Norwegian and Sweedish runners at the runner’s camp. It’s true that when New York does it, They DO IT BIG!
I snapped a picture before entering my coral and shortly afterwards the race was starting; the test of my months of altitude training had begun.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/07/sports/20101107-nyc-marathon-faces.html
Nov
03
I ended up traveling to Washington D.C. for work training and it just happened to be the Marine Corps Marathon, Rally for Sanity, and Halloween weekend….super cool and SUPER BUSY! My friend, Air, picked me up from the airport and we arrived at her place around 3am Saturday morning. We attended the “faith not fear” brunch b/f heading to the Rally for Sanity with Air’s friends. I took the running tour of the D.C. monuments on Sunday after church–Air chose a very monumental route: passing the white house, the veterans memorial, jefferson memorial, the tower with kites swirling all around. And I’ve never felt so pumped to be running back on the east coast. I can’t wait to hop the bus to NYC for the marathon next weekend–I’ve prepared for this….I’m READY! Juan and I completed our last run above 8 miles last Thursday–we ran 10 miles at an average 7:35 pace I think I can handle 8:27 in New York. I hope my next post is entitled: NYC to Boston…..only time will tell, so We’ll see!
Sep
14
Up until last Friday my longest run was a half marathon…and then came Saturday, haha. I didn’t know what posessed me to think I could roll with the El Paso group, who was setting out to attack their last long run before St. George Marathon in Utah, but I believed I could at least go 18 to 20 without losing the group. It was 5:30am and Elisa was dropping us off just over the other side of Transmountain Rd. I ran the transmountain trails with Juan before, so I thought most of the run would be the infamous, uphill, rocky, winding trails. I was pleasantly surprised to see pavement and to hear the runners note that he 1st 6.5miles was downhill Yeeesssss! It always makes for a GREAT run when I mentally show up expecting the worst. The coolest thing about that run had to be starting on top of the mountain looking up at the big western sky, beaming with a billion stars, and looking out at the city lights I was expecting to guide me [since I didn't think to buy a headlamp or blinky; thank God the other runners were equipped]. Part 2 of this “awe” feeling came with the brushstrokes of sunrise over the mountains–I hushed my internal voice [that started to groan about the sudden uphill miles] momentarily to thank God for the view. Contentedness, for me, not only lied in the the pursuit of finishing my first 20+ mile run with some chillaxed runners, but it was in greeting the southwest sunrise, as it forced multicolored brushstrokes to follow through in clear skies. With those twenty-two miles now behind me, I smile….I am also following through
Aug
20
I wonder what it means when 2 butterflies, frollicking in the air, accompany you on a run. I mean butterflies only have 20-40 days to pick a career, find a mate, and have an adventure, or two, before they die, right?!–their life is so fleeting, like seconds on the clock, so why would they run some time off the clock with me? I first noticed them whisk by me 1.5 miles in. Then I saw them again at 2.5 miles. They continued to criss-cross my path, as well as eachothers, but I didn’t mind. I sensed a bit of grace in their flight and I wondered why they wanted to spend almost 10 minutes of their lives running with me in the desert. I usually stare at distant mountains when I run, or my eyes find jackrabbits scattering, at which time I watch, hoping a rattlesnake will strike them and swallow them whole; I guess, it’s out of shear spite, because I can’t run as fast as they hop. But today, the butterflies captivated me; I was waiting to hear what they had to say. Why would they accompany me for a mile or so? Why can’t I fly with them? Funny, eh?… the thoughts that can entertain a solo runner. You’d think my mind would focus on heel-toe transitions, pace/heart rate, or water (God forbid I find some in the desert!). But, no…my mind was fixated on the lifespan of a butterfly, and what God was trying to say through them today. I still don’t know what it means when 2 butterflies accompany you on a run. I simply know what it means to go the distance trying to figure it out… -bklyn
Aug
07
It’s never easy training for a marathon. Commitment and consistency is ALL that matters. “Do a little something every day…and don’t forget to cross-train to prevent injury”, says my my best friend, Deb. I’m convinced that training for NYC will be harder than training for the Bataan Death March, not because the course is harder (because we all know the death march 6-7 mile mini mt. climb and 1-mile sand pit felt like “death”), but because of the timed goal I’ve set for myself: Qualify for Boston. So I have to run a marathon in 3:40; an 8:27 pace is attainable for the 1st 21 miles. It’s miles 22-26 that I worry about. So, how do I stifle that worry?…..well, I plan to run that pace for two 25 mile training runs in altitude. I think that will get me over the hump, but only race day will tell….For now, it’s 1-day at a time. Today’s run was “A” Mountain; here’s the view @ the top:
May
12
My boyfriend takes me skydiving!!! Flippin’ UNBELIEVABLE good time! Wish the chillbillies were headed back this month to skydive w/ the adventure club in El Paso 
….next time we’ll do that instead of T or C, LOL!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/video/video.php?v=1354303831210
Mar
24
Congrats to the Chillbillies!!! I enjoyed our adventure in the southwest And I am so proud of how you represented ALL the runners that train 600+ feet above sea level for a high altitude race….No one on this side of the border can touch you!
Mar
10
Homework b/f the race: Memorize this poem and recite it the entire 26.2 miles…
this clip has more drama than P.A.M. –gosh, I miss all the chillbillies!!
See you all soon
