DubsWin, so WeRun #LetsGo510

See, when you’re me, you’ve got to have a sense of humor about this running stuff. Because, well, you sometimes plan running events in the same weekend. Which isn’t abnormal, per say #Such&Thus. I mean, a couple of remix challenges, running this event last year the day before Rock n Roll Los Angeles. The idea of this isn’t new. It’s actually part of your #15in2015. Right? You out here running #Back2Back #twice like Drizzy. Like nobody who knows you is surprised by your behavior at all.  

What’s different? You actually didn’t intend for it to work out this way. You actually thought that this event was on a different weekend. And you were excited about the fact that you’d get to run consecutive weekends.

You need a personal assistant. You need your google calendar to assume human form. And follow you around.

But I gotta do it. It’s #RunningHubby’s last event of the challenge. He’s taken down an #8k on a bum toe, a #12k with you nowhere in sight of the finish as he crossed, and now this #10k. You gotta be there for it. All of the distances. All of the finishes. All of the medals. All of the challenges.

Just not there in the doing the #10K sense of being there. Because you’re a Ragnarian now. And, well, you’ve been sleeping in a SUV. And, well, you really don’t wanna. So, just no. There’s a #5k. Just do that. #ankle #ItsOkayToUnderachieveOnce #TabWouldBeProud 

START: It’s me and you Jigs. Let’s get it.

Mile 1: Hmmm. It’s been a while since I’ve walked a race. This actually feels good. Seriously, I should do this more often.

Mile 2: Or nah. I kind of get why I run now. I’d like for this to be over Jesus. #iUnderstandYouNowAlicia #SprintUpTheHills #GetItOverAlready

Mile 3: Wait, what happened to Jigs? Oh, there she is. Oh, now I know what I gotta do. She’s about to hate me. I think I like it.

Mile 3(0.1): Oh, she’s about to get this PR. And a kill. C’mon Jigs!!!!

FINISH: Yassssssss! She did that! That girl never stood a chance!!!! I’m so proud! She killed this 5k!

Mile 6(0.2): eeeeek. They look upset. Maybe I should start cheering and get all happy and whatnot and they’ll forget they just ran 6.2 miles without me.

(their)FINISH: Whatever you do girl, Do. Not. Break. Character. Turn-The-Eff-Up!

I did what I said I would do. I was present for every run. I started with him. And at the very last one, I got to see him finish. I was able to witness his first steps, and welcome in his last with clapping, cheering, and a shiny new medal. I’ll never know what he became. I think I want to, but it's not for me to know. It was always and only for me to do what I said I would do. Be there. He asked me not to leave him, and I never did. I think that I believe that everyone is going to have some life changing experience from all of this. That they are going to get hooked on the feeling like Tyrone Biggims is on crack #hooked #addicted #ItsSoContagious. But I don’t think it’s that way – and I’m not sure it’s that way for him. But whatever it was, I hope it was worth it.

It’s an amazing feeling seeing your friends achieve their goals. #RunningHubby wasn’t the only person who set out to do something great. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, all stealthy like a fighter jet, Jigs #AngelicaRollerskates been out here marching for miles and medals. A quiet commitment to something greater than herself. I think it was just how she wanted it to be. Something personal, something just for her, something to prove something else to herself. I hope it taught her whatever it was suppose to teach her too…and then a little something else. It’s always the unexpected lessons, those unknown things we come to know about ourselves by surprise that grow us. I imagine she didn’t think she had it in her to sprint that last leg of the race. I wish she could have seen the smirk on her face as she crossed the finish line. It was everything.

…and that’s #Year2 of the #RunTheBay challenge. I'm not doing this again. I mean, it's not a chore or anything to do. But, really, why would you do something AGAIN, after you literally just did it AGAIN??? 

I was prepared to hang the medals up until they told me what you get in #Year3.

A medal rack.

FuhK. I’ll be back. #2016 #TheYearOfRagnar #andTheRunTheBayChallenge 
#Again #andAgain #andOneMoTime #ForTheOrangeCameraAndMedalRack

#15ThingsIn2015 Challenge

5 new states (Louisiana – 1 down, 4 to go) #iShouldWorkOnThisOne

4 new friends (OldieButNewbie #RunningHubby; My Child; WickedWineRunCrew (6 people!); Ragnar Napa Valley (10 people!) – 18 down, -12 to go)

3 new running events (Shamrock Half; St Charles Road Race; Orange County Half; Wicked Wine Run; Ragnar Napa Valley; Let’s Go 510…5k – 6 down, -3 to go)

2 back-to-back running events (Rock N Roll San Jose 5K & Half; Ragnar Napa Valley & Let’s Go 510…5k – 2, 0 to go)

1 Half Marathon PR (Rock N Roll San Diego! 6 minutes! – 1 down, 0 to go)

When you sacrifice a shower #ToBeGreat

Dr Splits on Trees did a relay race. No not a basic race like the one she did in Las Vegas in 2013 – you know that “half of the half” of greatness turned 10K so it can kind of sound great now race (but we all know the truth). No, not that. She did a badass relay with 11 of her closest (read: I’m not sure how well she knew them folks, so I just picked a word that sounded nice) friends and relayed 200 miles. This kind of makes her almost as awesome as me and Alicia. But, she did do the “half of the half” in Las Vegas so, Alicia Keykey and I refuse to let her greatness be fully realized. But she hella close.

All on the brink of greatness and whatnot.

Well now, imitation being a form of flattery, I have signed up to do the same thing. This October I’ll be running Ragnar Napa Valley with 11 of my closest (read: I only know one person on this relay and I don’t even think we got assigned to the same van, but I guess I have enough time to get close to the 10 other people) sister friends.

Yup. 205 miles. Napa to Calistoga. Just call me Runner #8 (legs 8, 20, and 32) because I’m about that life. And by “bout that life” I mean, I have once again given someone a large(ish) sum of my hard earned money to do something terribly awful to myself for a medal. Because race medals are greatness. And I wanna be great. I’ve been (not) training my whole life for this! #MamaWilliMakeIt?

Bruh. You should see the way they describe these legs. Easy – Moderate – Hard – Very Hard. Da fawwwk o_0? Wheettt? What kind of descriptions are those? What does that mean? So I did what any person who signs up for something first, then goes back to read the instructions does…I started reading the website. Bro, they have their own bible. Their Own Bible, bro. I signed up for another religion unwittingly. I’ve actually used the phrase running gospel...I think the actual quote was preaching this running gospel… I’m a prophet, son. And, soon, I’ll be eulogizing my legs because…hello, the elevation chart on Leg 20 of this race? Did you see all of those directions? I get lost. I actually got lost, on a race, that was basically the equivalent of an out and back with a slight…SLIGHT…detour through a park. Who does this??

Running ‘baby jesus’…I have more questions.

So, 10 of my close-to-be+1-I-know-already friends and I are going to run 205 miles, relay style. Nonstop from Friday to Saturday. Legit like 24 hours a day into and out of the wee hours of the morning.

Awesome, right? Right.

A van with the runners will drive to the exchange point, drop off the next runner, pick up the person who just finished running and do it all over again.

Still awesome, right? Right.

And because we’ll be running nonstop. We’ll get sleep in the van, because right? Gotta keep running. Right? Yes, you actually have to keep running. Someone is waiting on you.

I promised myself I’d never go camping again (I’ll tell you that story one day), only to sign up for a race in which I’ll basically be camping.

I can be so basic sometimes.

I would say it’s part of the charm but what is charming about running, not showering, running again, THEN NOT showering again…and…repeating that with 5 of your won’t-be-close-much-longer friends?

Everything. Because, medals. Greatness. Glory. All of that.

Things I know for certain about myself…

1.    I don’t read things all the way;

2.    I love an adventure;

3.    I literally pay for people to allow me to torture myself;

AND

4.    I’ve signed up to run a race the Sunday following this.

Yep. You guessed it. Three full days of running with likely only A SINGLE (just 1 Lord) shower before the Friday race begins, and *hopefully* before the Sunday race.

You can’t get out of this Sunday race. It’s not just any race, but THE RACE. The race where you’re going to repeat the iRunTheBay Challenge – which doesn’t have to be a thing but totally is a thing. But what makes it a thing you ask? It’s where Running Hubby is going to complete his first #iRunTheBayChallenge. And, that is a thing. You have witnessed everyone’s #iRunTheBay run to greatness. Angelica Rollerskates is getting her medal too! I just gotta see that! This is one you cannot miss. Because, running, marriage, and choices yo, running, marriage, and choices. Yup. Choices.

You had better hug me after all of this. And rub my feet and legs. And feed me all of the foods. All of them. Greatness smells awesome. #LiesItellMyself #ToKeepFromCrying

Ragnar Napa Valley! It Begins >>

Mandar #itshisthing

You know, maybe if you actually typed in the address to the start location in your phone *instead of always texting will driving #YeaImPetty* then perhaps we’ll get to where we need to go IN time…

I don’t need no GPS. I have mandar.

Mandar? *meanest side eye every given before 8:00am* WTF is Mandar? I’m not doing this with you this morning. We better not be late.

We’re not going to be late. I know these streets… Look, we’re here…

*mumbles under breath* Lucky ass…

I was ready to go in! Like seriously. I sent you all the information you needed. All you had to do with type an address into the map application on your smart phone, and let it navigate us. No, that’s not the easiest thing to do. The easiest thing to do is to not even look at the street address to the meet up spot. Nope. Just know the general area of the race location, and drive until you get there – even into construction, because there’s construction on the streets you would have taken.

I can’t with this dude. But I have to. Because fate somehow selected us for each other. #IChooseYou #WeAlreadyKnowIMakeBadChoices … And today’s choice is no different. Well, it’s not a bad choice, but it’s ill-advised like a mofo. You know there’s a 5k option, right? You know that’s NOT what we’re doing, right? Yup. I’ve talked CJC #TheWorldsOkayestRunner and (running)Hubby into running the 12K. Because she can’t complete her #iRunTheBay Challenge on some punk ass 5K and I won’t let him do it because he doesn’t listen to me anyway, so he’s never quite sure of what’s he is signed up to run. I’m not a very good friend.

We make it. I have to admit it. But like I’m going to say it. Whatevs. We are in line with CJC ready to take these school buses across the bridge. Because the awesome thing about the 12K is that you run across the Golden Gate. Okay, I take it back. Today is going to be awesome. My first time running the Golden Gate Bridge.

Wait. Isn’t the bridge high? Meaning, we’ll have to run UP to it? Meaning, this really isn’t a flat course? Like at least the first few miles of it? FFAAAWWWKKKK! Did I tell yall just how much I hate hills and inclines? I don’t want to do this. I really don’t.

And while I am pondering the fate of my calf muscles…

So, just like San Jose…we’re going to run together?

You realize you left me? At the end. You took off. We didn’t finish together.

We’re running together! I’m not going to leave you! I promise!

     

      *looks over at CJC…she knows these are lies*

*CJC shrugs*

START: Sure. We’re going to run together. Sure we are #LiesToldByRunningHusbands

Mile 1: This fool didn’t even pace with me to the Mile 1 Marker. He ain’t loyal at all. I can’t.

Mile 2: I should have known better. I need to read the elevation maps of these courses before the race. Well, maybe I shouldn’t. No way would I have done this knowingly. #ShouldaDidThe5K

Mile 3: Okay, fine. This view from the bridge is beautiful. Lemme get these good selfies in!

Mile 4: What does this truck say? You’re Almost There Almost where? Almost finished? Man, yall keep on lying to me. First my (running)Husband, now this. #CantWin

Mile 5: I’m so hungry, Lord. Please be a banana from a kind stranger. Maybe this motorcycle club gentlefellow holding up traffic so I can pass by slowly has one. No? You don’t? Keep running? Eh.

Mile 6: That fool (read: running husband) better be at the finish line with food. Or. Else.

Mile 7: And a taco. With bacon on it. Or do I want pancakes and a grape soda? Nawww – Eggrolls! Yasssss! With some sushi on the side? All of that. Running baby (read: stomach cramps and hunger pains) is kicking inside.

Mile 7(0.4): A gottdamn hill right before the finish? Yall ain’t right. This is cruel and unusual punishment! Making me earn these medals and miles hunh?

         

Finish: Not even a bottle of water for me. I can’t with this dude. Yes, I’m thirsty! Imagine me being thirsty after, I don’t know, running??? O_o

But CJC is smiling from her Calf muscles to Coast! That medal looks GREAT on her! I could be more proud, but my legs hurt, so I’m like 85% proud and 15% in pain. Nothing like setting out to achieve something, and doing it…and doing it well! She gets out on this pavement and finds a way to be great every race. Her smiles, her hugs, her unwavering support of everyone, and her commitment to herself. This is the stuff my running crew is made of.

But that’s running for you. Something about it changes you. I think the running crew is pretty secure in the thought that we are conquerors…that we can achieve great things. But something about THIS thing – running – brings out another dimension to it. At least for me anyway. Perhaps because there was a time when I really believed I could not do this – then I figured out I could, that every running achievement, no matter how small is mind blowing? 13.1 miles was once impossible – and only impossible because I believed that.

Anyway, you love us. We’re the most amazing running crew full of serious (read: LOL, that was hella funny to you too?) athletes you know.

And even though he didn’t have water for me, he made sure our running baby got something to eat. I suppose he’ll get a pass this time.

#15ThingsIn2015 Challenge

5 new states (Louisiana – 1 down, 4 to go)

4 new friends (OldieButNewbie #RunningHubby; My Child – 2 down, 2 to go)

3 new running events (Shamrock Half; St Charles Road Race – 2 down, 1 to go)

2 back-to-back running events

1 Half Marathon PR

Trust Your Body #Race14Medal13 #ChallengeMedal2

Remember that time I had this really awesome (not awesome) idea to run races on back to back days. I mean how could I have possibly learned anything from Doing The Double or San Jose earlier this month. I flunked the class that experience taught.

But I showed up every day. On time. In the front row. Taking worthless notes.

This was an awesome running weekend on paper though. Not only did it mark the “end” of #14in2014, it was the conclusion of 2 race series challenges. I Run The Bay  & I Run The Coast. Which have now been effectively dubbed, The California Takeover. #IOwnCalifornia

I’m the most amazing person you know. I was born excellent. Matter of fact, when I was born, my Mommie gave me a high 5. Because dammit I delivered myself in half the time! The fact that you know me shows not only that there is a Divine Being, but that He too wants you to be something special.

I am your example in life. Look upon me with all your wonder. I mean you’ll never actually be me, but aspire. I am physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally and intellectually unable to commune with you. Yet you love me, because I benevolently choose to exist in this world with you.

Now that we got that cleared up....let the running begin.

Start: Please, please, please don’t be a hero. After this you have to fly to Los Angeles and run again. Take it easy. Slow and steady gets the medal. Wait, is the path blocked by that hill right there? We have to run up that? #disrespectful

Mile 1: Um, okay. So another wilderness run. More kids running like they breathe through their pores. Why didn’t challenge myself to this 20 years ago?

#theymakeitlooksoeasy #theyhavdnolifestrugglesweighingthemdown #ihatechildren *Maleficient Mean Mug*

Mile 2: *older ginger lady and ginger kid approaches on the left* Did you do this race last year? To which I huffed, No....and then she goes.... You remind me of this woman last I saw year running. You've got a great steady pace. I couldn't keep up with her, and I thought you were her...and I said to myself, 'Im gonna beat her! Grrrrr'…

*thinking* Did this lady just growl at me with her kid here? Man, running brings out the worst in people.

Mile 3: *my calf muscles finally get the memo about the weekend* FUM we gotta do this again?! Hell to the naw! Oh you stopping at every water station, and if you even think about stopping to take a picture mid run, you will NEVER wear heels again! *hangs head in shame*

Mile 4: That gottdamn hill again. Oh, and he is pushing a stroller up it. I don’t feel bad about myself. At all.

Mile 5: I’m over this. Like really. I feel like this is dumb and the fact that I’ve convinced other people that its fun is a sign that I’m in the wrong business.

Mile 6: I want some bacon. *ginger lady approaches* She might kill herself in front of her kid trying to keep up with me....and I’m slow.

Mile (6)0.2: That medal better be everything I remembered in March. #ItWasJustADream #QueueUpErro

Finish: I want to go home.

Not gonna lie, I felt a little defeated at the finish. I cannot get over the speed thing. I LOVE doing these kinds of events with friends, but I LOATHE that they always have to wait on me. As fast as I go, I’m still soooo slow.

I crossed the finish line, looking up for the exit to the Golden Gate Fields track. I reached for my medal, took my headphones off and saw them. Each one of my friends waiting on me. With their medals and their smiles...and the photographer. CJC said to her, We're ready to take our group picture now.

It’s hard to describe what that gesture meant to me. I was so overwhelmed by pure, genuine, loving emotions that I did what I do best. Avoid them. I turned my inner Leo up to the “hella extra” setting and went in. I couldn’t deal with those feelings. They touched at the heart of something really sensitive, something really vulnerable, something terribly difficult for me to accept.

I am a runner. I have the shoes, the bib, the tech tee and the nearly over-drafted bank account to prove it. But I don’t always feel like one. I don’t feel like I look like one, whatever that means, or that I can be counted into the brother/sisterhood of running because I’m not fast. It bothers me so much. It takes the fun out of it.

But not one of them seemed to care. At all. Not even a little bit. They didn’t seem to care about what time I finished. They only cared that I finished. I’ve been telling people all year that it only matters that they start and finish. I don’t care how they do it...all the medals look the same. I need to stop caring so much about how I do it. There are people who are inspired by it. Like this guy. What’s crazy is that my friends, the whole lot of them said the same thing to me on Saturday. I felt so much shame in that moment. When I read his words, I felt really tears began to swell in my eyes. I finally got it.

This Race: Let’s Go 510, 10K, Oakland CA
Medaled Miles to date: 73.67 miles

Total Raced Miles to date: 86.77 miles 

1 Medal To Go ǁ 93% Complete

(2 Challenge Medals ǁ 107% Complete)

I Ran 2/3rds of The Bay, #Race11Medal10

…and in late race posting news, while I was busy not writing on these interents about the life and times of a runner in the making, I’ve been in my feelings yo, and like there was nobody to help me out them joints. Don’t get me wrong, there’s been some amazing experiences these past couple of months, but there have been levels and levels to these feelings. Levels. And levels.

Which I’ll get you caught up on, eventually. I tend to tell on myself, because well, I’m a writer, and I’m not all that creative, and the stuff I make up isn’t nearly as interesting as the mess I’m living… #thebeautifulmessIveMadeOfThings #withasideofbacon

So, as you now, it’s all about this #14in2014, right? Right. Well, I am smack dab in the middle of two challenge series. #IRunTheBay and #IRunTheCoast. I’ve ran #SanJose, and this race, #Race11Medal10 was the 2^nd installment of the challenge #SanRafael. I think they meant #SanFrancisco, but it was still in the #415, so there was that.

Pre-Race Day: Okay, lemme see where this race is so I know what to do when I get off of Caltrain. Because I’m definitely taking the train to San Francisco tomorrow. *minutes later* Oh, there are other cities in the 415 besides San Francisco? Oh, okay. #SanRafael #NoCaltrainForYouBoo #YouCarpoolingWithTheHomey

Race Day: Oh, this city is nice? Where this place been all this time? I would come here but the way my skin color is set up… #WeTheOnlyPeopleWhoLookLikeUs

Start: Sure you haven’t been running because it’s hotter than an overloaded circuit in the Matrix… It’s just 3.1 miles. You got this. This course looks HELLA flat.

Mile 1: Yep, still got them. My lungs are still here. #IcantBreatheJesus

Mile 2: When White People Get Angry – starring the white people running and the white people in the cars waiting for the runners to pass because they decided to drive even though the streets have signs on them blocking them off until Noon. It’s not even 9:00am. #TheyMadTho #ItsFunnyCauseItsNotMe #TheyWantTheirStarbucks #ItsAboutToGoDown

Mile 3: Oh, so the course isn’t flat. Isn’t that lovely? Where did all the people go? Around the not-flat bend, perhaps? Perhaps.

Mile (3) 0.1: Running is stupid.

          Finish: Gimme my medal -_- I’m hungry. My chest hurts. This medal is pretty tho.

See. This is fun.

This had the makings of a super blah racing experience. However, 2 very important things happened on this day.

Not in order…So, the other part of this 5K was the Miracle Mile. There were timed miles for the various genders and age groups. Clearly the one event, regardless of medal opportunity that I would NEVER participate in. Not because I don’t have the ability to run. It’s because it would be a miracle if I came in eyeshot of those timed miles! They were hella fast. Like this one dude. He went to the start line and BEASTED that mile. Like 4:06 minutes, beasting. He crossed the finish line, took his shoes off and walked away like a boss. Do you realize how much you WOULD NOT be able to say to me if I could do something that remotely came close to that? You couldn’t read me a bedtime story. I would be just that great. And, that’s why God gave me boobies.

I gave him Medal Monday, he gave me back a reason to run.

And the race corral, where I met up with my friend and her husband. See, we’re all black girls who run. And on occasion we have family and friends who are #PeopleWhoWatchUsRun, right? Well it just so happens he got to experience our race experience in Oakland. Remember when we ran like hella?  And Oakland was hella rude and left the race medals in their office, thereby stealing my greatness?

He saw it all. Filmed some of it. Read the letter. Celebrated it. Then joined it.

I got to be part of another first experience. This is not the cherry popping kind of thing because he did not attend this with me, and um, he’s well…married and that would be rude of me to say. And wildly inappropriate. BUT, I mean I’m kinda sorta connected to the experience, so I bought the cherries… Yea, that.

He proudly wore his medal post race. He then followed it up with an epic #MedalMonday. And that’s all I ever really wanted from all of this.

Paying #MedalMondays forward.

This Race: Marin 415K & Miracle Mile, The 415K, San Rafael CA

Medaled Miles to date: 51.27 miles

Total Raced Miles to date: 64.37 miles 

4 Medals To Go ǁ 71% Complete