Who’s Inspiring You? #AlmostCanceled

 What a week, yall.

Gratitude is Done. Hope has been checked off the list. We literally laughed out way through humor. And now we are here. Underachieving during the one week where I should have been primed for success. Inspiration.

It was almost cancelled.

I had grand plans of getting miles in each day, in honor of someone or something that inspired me. I started off with my mile+ loop Monday and Tuesday, but those were the hardest miles I ran this week. It felt forced, and contrived, which inspired me to, well, not do much running after that. For an experience that has had me planning running outfits, excitedly, to searching desperately for my running shoes Saturday morning. I planned to join friends for a group-Zoom run, but that 7:00am alarm? Just, no. I eventually got up and got out later in the day, and finished my miles on the treadmill and at Club MTV w/ D-Nice and later at #ClubQuarantine #AfterDark

EVEN THIS BLOG ENTRY IS LATE – and I love writing?! What is going on?

If my underachieving inspires you, then we have:

15k = 9.3 miles

Running (outdoor): 4.82 miles

Running (treadmill): 1.413 miles

Exercising: 62mins/3.061 miles

   [The Math: 9.3mi – (4.82mi + 1.413mi) = 3.061mi; 3.061mi x 20min = 61.22mins; 62 mins of exercise/physical activity]

3k = 3.1 miles

Running (treadmill): 3.429 miles

   [The Math: Well, D-Nice an’nem was partying with a purpose to raise money for UNCF (Donate! (if you can) and I was well, you know, looking for purpose… #HillmanCollege #Alumnae]

E-Boogie got that 5K in too! Done. Dedicated my inspiration run to my homey Ross that passed away on the 10^th. #prayers #love She also dedicated a run to my father, who passed around the time we were supposed to do the #RockNRollSD #HalfMarathonRelay. I love her for that, and other reasons… Like being my #someone in #california, who…, and still, reasons more.

But about this Inspiration thing…

Before I moved back to California, I came to the Bay Area for a visit. Literally, there was no big concert, or sporting event, or anything causing me to fly from ORF >> SJC other than the Bay Area is one of my homes, a beloved one. I was out to dinner with a friend who had recently began his running adventures. He dove into the deep in of the running pool where Spartan Races happen, and well, I still needed floaties for my running adventures. I was so proud of him, marveling at his Spartan Race series medal (one of three he was looking to earn). It reinvigorated my love and passion for running. Not so much to sign up for the mud, climbing, burpees, and fire, but enough to consider the next challenge. I will never forget what he said to me, after saying, You’re a smart girl, but that’s a dumb phone… #iLovedThatKeyboard lol

Somebody gotta inspire those that inspire [others].

Most of what inspires me is out of my daily reach. Before my father became present with the Lord, he was always 1000+ miles away from me. The spirits of the ancestors are among us, but we must search for them, for the things they left behind, for their faces, to remind of our why.

I went on and on thinking to all the people, all the places, all the things, for which I have an abundance of gratitude, for how they inspired me. It was only when I got home, I realized that he was saying something like, me, like I, was inspiring people, and he had to do the work to inspire me, so I could inspire others.

Before I started this week, ready to take on the pavement, each day, and give to all that inspired me, paying homage to him, for that moment, was not on the list. Maybe my inability to be great in the way I planned was about that. Was about finding that moment. Finding him. About doing something, that inspires someone else. About being on the giving end of inspiration, instead of taking (being) inspired.

It seems strange, hunh? To do something with the intention of inspiring others. Like you’re just THAT good. Scratch that, you’re just that damn great, and the world is waiting for you to have that Ilyana effect on them, because, in times like these, we need fixing! But what if it wasn’t that. What if it was an act of service, to those, who plow and till the lands which birth what inspires us? I imagine their yokes are heavy burdensome blessings…

Because honestly, when that memory of him came to me on Sunday, I was already past the 5K mark. (I was also jammin’ to D-Nice. I get my best thoughts when I run #inspired).

Good thing everybody knows…almost doesn’t count.

This week is all about COURAGE! How fitting…

Much Ado About Humor… #Yup #UnCanceled

We are on a roll (run) folks! What have we accomplished so far?

Well, Gratitude? Done. Then there was Hope. Got it. And this week, we un-canceled HUMOR, and it is right on time. It’s like Teddy Riley knew I needed to end this race week with a laugh, because yall have SENT ME with these memes, and tweets, and comments during the IG Live! Let me tell you, I. STAN. for each and every one of you. I’m not sure if I burned more calories during Saturday’s 15k or while watching the #VERZUZ that wasn’t Teddy Riley v Babyface unfold!

Anyway, you have my laughs and my thanks. And I offer in return this week’s race re-cap and HUMOR(ous) reflections!

 

10k = 6.2 miles

Running: 4.20 miles

Exercising: 40mins/2.0 miles

   [The Math: 6.2mi – 4.2mi = 2.0mi; 2.0mi x 20min = 40mins; 40 mins of exercise/ physical activity]

8k = 4.97 miles

Running: 4.02 miles

Exercising: 19mins/0.95 miles

   [The Math: 4.97mi – 4.02mi = 0.95mi; 0.95mi x 20min = 19mins; 19 mins of exercise/ physical activity]

3k = 3.1 miles

Running: 1.38 miles

Exercising: 35mins/1.72 miles

   [The Math: 3.1mi – 1.38mi = 1.72mi; 1.72mi x 20min = 34.4mins; 34.4 rounded up to 35 mins of exercise/physical activity]

Here's that 3.6 mi courtesy of my ZOOM Group Run!

15k = 9.3 miles

Running (outdoor): 4.9 miles

Running (treadmill): 3.6 miles

Exercising: 16mins/0.8 miles

   [The Math: 9.3mi – (4.9mi + 3.6mi) = 0.8mi; 0.8mi x 20min = 16mins; 16 mins of exercise/physical activity]

E-Boogie & Big Meek (on tha Block) are still rocking and running with me! This weekend, they were due for an 8k.

Big fun at #ClubElkGrove

…and then there’s me, over here kee’kee’n to myself, but honestly, everything is funny to me. I was on the phone with my child that I didn’t birth in Tennessee (who lives in Georgia right now and is pregnant #GrandbabyNumbah2, #ColeyColeHadGBabyNumbahOne) and we were having a very special mommie–daughter moment which was quickly interrupted with my text, R.I.P. to yo’ sleep tho reminding her that soon, she’ll have bags under her eyes caring for her baby girl. She went from crying (out of love and affection) to having the tears fall away into laughs. And there you find me. Laughing in, joking through, giggling because, of everything. Laughing, like running, has been therapy. I am thankful that as serious as life gets, I tend not to see it that way. Even the hard stuff, with a little time, transforms itself into a smile, and eventually some with some percentage of humor to it.

I thought, this week, to fill the posts with running jokes, kinda like the way E-Boogie made us laugh with the madness of running… But nothing compares to the HUMOR that was Saturday night! If you have ever helped a person from a generation prior to yours, understand the technology of the day (no shade, cause i’ve been that previous generation person HELLA times), then you know what it was like watching Take 1 of #VERZUZ, Teddy Riley vs Babyface. Babyface took Teddy out in three rounds with a nokia phone, dial-up internet, and 1^st generation headphones, yall. I live to achieve the levels of unbotherdness of Kenny! Black people and Black Twitter will always, and forever, be undefeated! #MastersOfTheUniverseOfJokes

Get ready for #VERZUZ Take 2 tonight, Teddy Riley vs Babyface! 5:00pm PST! I hope that it not only inspires more jokes, but that it connects us back to music that we loved, memories we had connected to those tunes, and gets us up and moving!

This week is all about INSPIRATION! Whoever, Wherever, Whatever inspires you, I hope you find some gratitude for it! LOL #seewhatididthere? #nerd

Got Hope? #ItsUnCanceledToo

We ran on HOPE this week folks! Which, well, isn’t all too different from what I am (we are) usually running on. Hoping you finish your scheduled miles. Hoping you don’t injure yourself, or in my case, get lost AND injure yourself. Hoping there’s a bathroom on the route (clean and sanitary please! …doesn’t that have new meaning now?). Hoping that you’ve trained well enough, or that your training has gone well enough to make it across the finish line. Sure, some of us are more certain, more assured, than others. But you’d be crazy to think that the hopefulness was somehow, fully abandoned.

Well, for us serious athletes who are exemplars among the running community (of our friends who aren’t serious or athletes at all, because also we’re not those things either) we planned to Un-Cancel a 5k for Easter! E-Boogie dubbed our 5k the (water to) Wine and Resurrection Run, and well, that suits us just fine. E-Boogie was insistent that we (her, me, and Big Meek) get our run in before Noon, PST. While Big Meek and I grumbled at the idea of waking before the sun, we lamented because we love E-Boogie so much (or because we were drinking). As accountability, E-Boogie suggested that anyone who didn’t finish their 5k by Noon PST, would have to Instacart the others a bottle of booze/spirits – in addition too, of course, completing their 5k.

Before ending our Houseparty, (E-Boogie, Big Meek, & I) I hoped, sincerely, that one of us would not finish the 5k by Noon PST because, who doesn’t want wine Instacart’d to their home? Duh. They hoped the same thing too. We don’t need your judgement.

This week I Un-Canceled HOPE with a 10k & a 5k! Unfortunately, I ran and walked all my miles, so I didn’t get to do math. *insert tears here* Also, I ran/walked more than I was supposed to, so I get like, change back!

10k = 6.2 miles

Running: 5.62 miles

Walking: 1 mile

   [The Math (should have been): 6.2mi – 5.62mi = 0.58mi; 0.58mi x 20min = 11.6mins; round up to 12 mins of exercise/physical activity]

5k = 3.1 miles

Running: 4.00 miles

   [The Lesson? You don’t get to do Math when you overachieve, even if on accident]

Post running reflections on HOPE:

Big Meek (on tha Block) Says… HOPE. A lack of it is what I’d been feeling lately, in this TOUCH–less, HUG–less, PRO–Social Distance world I’ve now found myself... Though I’d been running, lately it felt much less purposeful... When encouraged to participate in the Un-Canceled Project, it was just the motivation I needed... I think... Well, I HOPE. This in many ways has reminded me of what is both in and out of my control. My running time might not have been where I wanted, but I got out there and ran with purpose... Maybe there is some HOPE after all.

E-Boogie Says… As I sit here trying to remember what HOPE feels like, I’ve got a sharp pain in my right knee. I ran 4 miles, even though I was only asked to run 3.1 (overachiever) and now I’m paying for it. I’ve always loved running and was excited about this challenge, however, over the past year I’ve decreased my miles to give my trusty knee a break. During these difficult times, alternative workout methods are limited and as hopeful as I am that this COVID-19 chaos will end soon, it is imperative that I have coping skills to get through this. Running is my coping skill. Running will give me the fuel I need to continue working in a healthcare setting. Running is my outlet ensuring my mental health is intact when the world around me is sinking. But really, all of this is based on hope, faith, and trust in something bigger than me; than us.

I Say… I hope I find more that motivates me during this time. I was going to get my 5k in on Easter, Instacart’d threat or not, but I felt real motivation, real connection to the idea that I would be running, virtually, with two of my faves #TemeculaTime #TheGoatAndVine. There was something, other than my intrinsic determination to fully embrace the Un-Canceled Project that got me up at 5:00am to do my 5k. Truth be told, I didn’t sleep well (much) the night before. Getting up to run felt easy. I was home frying bacon and prepping my baking for the day before E-Boogie or Big Meek met the pavement – and believe me, that’s an Easter miracle too #YayJesusTho #YoursWasBigger.

I have other hopes, very selfishly, very for me (like hoping I still get that Instacart’d blessing and hoping America stops treating Asians people like trash, and, well that China stops treating Africans/Blacks like trash in all this COVID-19 unrest, cause my lil’sis is in China and I’m anxious, and nervous, and restless…). But I’d rather share my hopes for all of you, for all of us. I hope you learn how to connect socially, as we continue living our physically distant lives. There’s gotta be a way we can hug online, right? I hope that world heals, and we come out of this with the same care, concern, and attention to each other that we must do now. Cause reaching out and loving on your loved ones these days seems to require more intentionality than it did before, hunh?

All these hopes feel a little like prayers, don’t they? I hope we do more of that too.

HUMOR is up next! Let’s see about finding some fun while you run (or exercise) …safely…and physically distant(ly)!

Still need to sign up to Un-Cancel some of your feelings? Click Here! It’s free and it’s fun!

Guess What? GRATITUDE is officially Un-Canceled! *woot*woot*

Yall know that us runners and runner’ish beings are feeling some kinda way about the world. Specifically, for those of us who don’t own or like treadmills, getting those miles in when the world is shut down by the time the streetlights come on is stressful. Stress. Full. Bruh. However, all of us, are suffering similarly as we get those flight and hotel cancellations and credits, automatic deferrals to next year, or conversions to the virtual participation of a race we’ve been anticipating since paying the race fee.

We’re using the money we’ve saved to order face masks to go with our running outfits, or are mapping out trails in which people are adhering to the #PhysicalDistancing #StaySocialTho directives, because people do all kinds of math at work, but can't seem to calculate 6 feet between strangers.

Some of us are having first world struggles. Meanwhile, the Un-Canceled Project was feeling the tension and came up with this really great way to get that runner’s high and all that comes with it and #StaySafe at the same time. Check them out!  The Un-Canceled Project and after you sign up, request to join their Facebook Group. Trust me. This will be fun.

You not only get to set your race calendar, you get to decide how many events you do, and specifically how you get those miles. Yep, that’s right – you don’t even have to run them all, because let’s face it, you might need to stay inside. It’s not too safe out there. Here’s how it works: The Instructions!

For this past week, April 1 to April 5^th, my races were 10k and 5k. If you’re not able to run, 1 mile = 15 to 20 minutes of exercise. I’m using 20 minutes in my conversion because I’m also #Baking while I’m #SafeInside. Here’s how I got my miles:

10k = 6.2 miles

Running: 4.75 miles

Exercising: 29mins/1.45 miles

   [Math: 6.2mi – 4.75mi = 1.45mi; 1.45mi x 20min = 29mins]

5k = 3.1 miles

Running: 2.31 miles

Exercising: 16mins/0.79miles

    [Math: 3.1mi – 2.31mi = 0.79mi; 0.79mi x 20min = 15.8mins; round up to 16mins]

…and you know what, I’m feeling hella grateful. Because there is so much GRATITUDE, let me tell you about some of it (and more)!

1.   I get to do math yall! You know how much I like math. Yes, I’m still mad that growing up I did not know the story of Hidden Figures. I’m still hella bitter about that. I digress. The fact that I can run as far as I can safely, get back inside, and calculate the minutes I need to exercise to complete my race literally gives me an energy like none other. Like, I probably won’t run the full distance of any of these races this month JUST SO I CAN DO MATH. It’s that important to me.

2. I am connecting more online. Wasn’t that the purpose of social media anyway? I’m just realizing that I wasn’t using it to connect in real, intentional, and meaningful ways, until it was THE ONLY WAY I could reach some people. Being honest, I began feeling this when my sister moved to Shanghai to teach. I can connect with her via social media, WeChat, and her awesome blog. The fact that I can’t see her stresses me sometimes, especially when there’s a pandemic happening outside our windows. That stress is exponential knowing that even if I wanted to see people, it’s probably a bad idea because that asymptomatic impact is real. The stress decreases with every notification, virtual happy hour invite, and letter I write. Yes, I still handwrite letters and put stamps on them, and go to the Post Office.

3. I have always been kind to those now dubbed #EssentialWorkers, as my parents served in such capacities their whole lives. While I’m not grateful for our current circumstance, I am grateful that the importance of store clerks, custodial personnel, transportation providers, teachers, (etc) is being highlighted during this time. There is collective thanks and gratitude for their service, and an outpouring of love, respect, and support to them, just as we are (and should) our medical/health professionals. I just hope we keep this same energy when the world heals to ensure essential personnel receive essential pay.

4. Running has been such a powerful experience for me. Anytime I think of my time pounding the pavement, I think to my experience joining a Ragnar Team for Ragnar Hawaii (2016) #NotFastJustFurious. I had not met a single person physically, yet I flew to Hawaii, to join my team, and run around the big island. It hadn’t dawned on me that I traveled clear across the Pacific Ocean and didn’t technically know anyone until I was knocking on the hotel room door. In Hawaii. What is likely a cautionary tale about safety, turned out to be one of the best running and social experiences of my life. And here I go again… I don’t know none of yall, but I’m excited for the connections that come from this #PhysicallyDistantAndSocial experience!

5.    …and probably the source of my gratitude fueling this week – phone calls! My sleeping schedule has been off these past few weeks. So, when I got a video call Wednesday morning (4/1/20) I was soooo irritated. (the indignity!) It was my sister calling to tell me about my niece, to have me mediate on of their “spats” now that she, like many of you are WFH while distance learning with the kid(s). I answered but was VERY annoyed. As soon as I got off the phone, a friend called me, also WFH, to shoot the breeze during her “break” time. If not for those calls, I likely would have snoozed the alarm, and missed the opportunity to get up and get active. It just so happened that as I was finishing my miles, the creek trails started to get busy, which is what I wanted to avoid. What a blessing! I’m so grateful for all the human alarms in my life, waking me up, at just the right time!

This is tough. We have all adjusted, to differing degrees, to help #FlattenTheCurve. While I’m not as comfortable as I once was getting my miles in on the trails like I used to, I am so blessed, so grateful to be virtually connected to so many people around the world who are #StayingSafeInside and #BeingSafeOutside!

April 6^th – 12^th is about HOPE!

Join me! #virtually