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

MEDALS MOTIVATE ME: Race 4, Medal 3

"The Legend of Extraordinary Luck"

…so here goes it. Question? What do Mariachi Bands, Banana Republic, Pizza and Green/Camouflage Sperry’s have in common?

Easy! The San Jose 408K Running Experience! Race to the Row 2014! Yes folks, the 408K is in the books! I literally woke up Sunday winning. And it wasn’t just because my very first love, my Daddie was born March 2^nd! Happy Birthday Pops! I did though, you know, wake up winning, even in the drizzle of San Jose. When I called him after the race, he said:

Daddie: You ran 5 miles? Hmph. I don’t think an ambulance could help me get that far! #He’sHilarious

I convinced my Bay Breeze FB friend turned running buddy to drive down for the race even though she planned to run it virtually. Talked one of my employee-running-friends to do the race as a precursor to the Tough Mudder, KD a.k.a. Dr. Splits On Trees came to pound the pavement with me after our January trail adventure and my Angelica Rollerskates even showed up for some post-race fun!

Told you. #WINNING

       

Friday Race “Expo”: ugh. Orange race bib. I should have said I was going to run faster than my actual pace so I could have gotten a different color. That teal over there is everything! I would have even been able to better accessorize that grey. What in the world am I going to do with this?

*smile for the camera! #anotherraceexpocherrypopped*

Saturday, Pre-Race: The devil is a lie. Chance of rain? Welp, that means no chance I am running without braids.

*spends Saturday watching He-Man & the Masters of the Universe, braiding hair*

Sunday, Pre-Race: *this is my excited for #medal3 face* -_-

Start: This is going to be fun. I think. #doingthisforRFII

Mile 1: No rain yet. Sweet. Even though I spent all day yesterday doing my damn hair. Anticipating rain, that isn’t coming. #bestweekendever

Mile 2: I kinda like this route. San Jose got some nice stuff. What neighborhood is this again? #MeLikey

Mile 3: I want a taco. Ooooh! The cherry blossoms. I want to live on this street. And eat tacos.

Mile 4: I know damn well it's not about to rain right now! Dammit. #justsprinkles #notthecupcakes #TillmanMemorialMile

Mile 5 (0.97): Um, how about you finish the race. It’s not necessary to take a picture with EVERY Mariachi Band you see on the Mariachi Mile.

*pause*music*selfie/groupie*run*repeat*

Finish: This one was for you Roc! Okay, now where are the mimosas and tacos?

Post Race: Included hitting KD (aka Dr. Splits on Trees) in the face *kinda* trying to take a picture jumping at the photo station and the best pizza and mini cupcakes a girl could pay for! Yasssssss!!! There was even a chartered bus ride back to my free parking spot on the street near the SAP Center. Did I mention I probably had the best post-race pizza ever?

Angelica: She’s never been here; she might need a minute to check out the menu.

Me: I know what I want. I want pizza. I want the pizza with the most meat on it.

Waiter: Then you might want to try this one.

Me: Okay. But that doesn’t look like enough. I’ll have it, but um, add that fennel sausage to it too.  #noroastedonions

Everything about this race was awesome. Great neighborhood route. No backtracking. Happy runners and walkers. A Mariachi Mile of music and smiles. And of course, Medal #3. I could not of asked for anything more. And I didn’t. But I got it. At the Race “Expo” I stopped by the Athelta table. The nice young lady there gave me a bag, a purple and grey hair tie, “Power of the She” tattoos and a card to redeem a surprise gift card ($5 to $50) on race day at their store in Valley Fair.

I crossed over Santana Row to the Mall to get my goodies at the Athelta store, right? It just so happened to be a $20 gift card to Banana Republic…which turned into the cutest top I am going to wear to some special event soon! Because a $20 gift card, plus 40% off = WINNING! #mymathisgettingbetter

I accidentally stopped by DSW because it was in the way of me getting home, right? Just so happens, there were some Sperry’s I accidentally left there. Which happened to be 70% off. So, I was basically just picking up shoes that were already mine, because, camo everything, is everything to me.

AND…hello? My 3^rd Medal! I am sooooo winning!

Yep Mrs. Bradshaw, medals totally motivate me too.

Today’s Race: 8K, 408K: Race To The Row, San Jose CA

Medaled Miles to date: 17.37 miles

#theycouldhaveroundeditupto5milestho

Total Raced Miles to date: 20.47miles

11 Medals To Go ǁ 21% Complete

Signs Up To Run 5K. Complains About Walking A Mile.

...why in the holy heck is there no damn parking for this race that doesn’t have me walking from the Red Sea to Jerusalem?! Yo, I cannot STAND racing events with limited parking, parking you have to pay for, or NO DAMN PARKING at all?! I’m about to RUN and you expect me to get there, how exactly? Oh, you must think I’m going to run from the house, to the Start Line, to the Finish Line, then back home? GTFOHWTBS!

That was the conversation I had with my friend yesterday. That was how I opened up #14in2014 with someone I've been encouraging to run the #408K with me in #March2014. And he managed to mile his way through my madness with a simple statement... "Signs up for 8K, complains about walking a mile." I told you. My friends are jerks. Funny. But jerks nonetheless...

That hot chocolate was hella good tho'!

So, the first race of the year was the Hot Chocolate 5K in San Francisco. The race was scheduled for Sunday, but it might as well been on Saturday! I was up so damn early, I’m not exactly sure it wasn’t still Saturday… It started at 7:30am! WTH Man?! This is when my craze for running gets the best of me. I get so wrapped up in the gimmick (ie: will run for chocolate) to overlook the details (ie: yo butt is running for chocolate before the sun comes up).

I should read more. 

Anyway, my friend came to visit me, so we decided to do the 5K instead of the 15K. It just made sense… Sight-seeing, partying, late nights, early mornings, shopping, etc… #logistics. I went back and forth about doing this race. I mean, c’mon…there is NO MEDAL! Who does that? Who has a race without bling? #rude

#14in2014 is ALL about me, but it’s also ALL ABOUT the other people in my life! I want others to join me in this process. That means I’m probably going to do more than 14 Races… For all the “running” I have done, there are many people who will always be joining me for the first time. I’m totally going to pop soooo many running cherries this year! I'm poppin cherries like rappers pop bottles!!! Yaaasssssss!!!!! I am going to run, as many miles as it takes, to garner support for my most noble-personal cause. 

And I’m dipping this first popped cherry in chocolate!

Saturday, 6:00pm: I think going to a house party is a great idea! We’ll go, dance, sip, and make it back to get some sleep for that 5:00am wake up call. This is totally possible.

Saturday, Wine O’Clock: Man…let’s get some Jack N The Box eggrolls!!! Yasssssssss!!!

Sunday, 5:00am: Nope. It ain’t happening. “Just 10 more minutes…then I’ll get up…” Negotiations continued for an additional 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 8 minutes and 6 minutes…

Sunday, 5:50am: *showering*

Sunday, 7:15am: You know, it should be illegal to be this damn cold. My ovaries felt that chill. Looks like I won’t have to freeze any of my eggs because they are now ice cubes! This ain’t it… Can I get my hot chocolate right now?

Start: Man, I got this…

Mile 1: Get. Out. Of. My. Way! Dear Father God In Heaven there are soooo many people out here… Trying to navigate through this sea of run/walkers is like playing PacMan. Yo, we need some additional directional cones or something. I promise I’m about to run somebody’s kid over. This can’t be all there is…

Mile 2: Yea, about running in San Francisco… What is it with all these inclines? I can’t… We’re inside the gottdarn Golden Gate Park and there are still hills and valleys. I cannot. Whoa…watch that puddle Pimp. Whew… Thanks Pimp. (yes, I politely ‘conversate’ with myself)

            *Janelle Monaé…Victory* Yoooo!!!! This is my jaaaaammmmmm!!!!!!!

Mile 3: That hot chocolate better be so good, I’d seriously consider slappin’ my Mama. Oh, and um, don’t tell her I said that.

Finish… Whew. For a minute there, it was touch and go. Like seriously. I’m never partying the night before a race again! Now where is my mug?! #MeBitterAboutThereNOTbeingAmedal lol

There was nothing sweet about running in the cold, walking a country mile from/to our *free* parking spot on the street, navigating the crowds, the long wait to start the race, or the wet paths and seats. Nothing sweet about it at all… The race started at 7:30am!!! That alone makes me bitter!

But it was absolutely sweet #NoBitterness. Because I spent that entire time with a really awesome person who was encouraging despite my brat-a-tude, comforting through my reluctance to channel my inner champion and believed that I would finish when at 5:00am I wouldn’t even start getting ready.

He made the first race of the year super sweet…Like dark chocolate. Like dark chocolate from Sees Candies. Like the dark chocolate from Sees Candies that he didn’t like.

Don’t worry California. I sent him back from whence he came. Ain’t nobody got time for people that hate Sees Candies.