First Race of 2023 Completed: Citrus Heritage Run 1/2 Marathon

On Saturday, January 7th, I completed my first race of the year which was the Citrus Heritage Run 1/2 Marthon which was held in Riverside, California.

Prior to the start of the race, I met up with two members of the Black Girls Run Inland Empire (aka BGR-IE) running club that I'm a part of and we took a selfie before the race began.

During running the 1/2 marathon, I ran past the local Citrus Hertiage Run Musuem as well as ran past local orange groves. 

After finishing the 1/2 marathon, I met back up with members from BGR-IE and took some photos to celebrate completing the 5K, 10K, and 1/2 marathon distances. 

In addition to this race being my first 1/2 marathon for 2023, I also ran this race in memory of my Uncle Willie who recently passed away and was also buried on the day of the race.

 Having completed this 1/2 marathon a little longer than I initally planned, I am working towards revising my training plan for my next 1/2 marathon which will be the Anchorage Mayor's 1/2 Marathon on Saturday, June 17, 2023.
 

My First Race Since COVID-19 & Race Recap: Havasu Half Marathon

      This past Saturday, I completed by first in person running event in a year which was the Havasu Half Marathon the took place in Lake Havasu, Arizona. I was excited to run this race since this was my first in person running event in a year and it was also this provided me with an opportunity to run in a new state and get closer to run a half marathon in all fifty states.

     I was bummed when the race was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 and was glad that since vaccines are now available, the race was able to be held this year with safety precautions. A few weeks before race day, I received an email from the race director clearly explaining the ways in which he was working to make the race a safe experience for all runners.

     The first safety precaution was that all runners were assigned a specific time to attend the race expo. The expo was held outside and everyone was required to wear a mask when attending the expo. When I arrived at the race expo, I was greeted by two masked volunteers who took my temperature before I was able to enter the expo. Each runner was given twenty minutes to pick up their bib and race shirt from the expo. 

     The second big safety precaution was that runners were assigned to a specific start time on race day and were distanced by number safety cones leading up ti the start line. The third safety precaution is that all runners were required to wear a mask when crossing the start line as well as when crossing the finish line. After crossing the start line, since runners tend to run at a distance, runners could take their masks off. Below are photos from race day.  

Waiting at start/finish line

Mural on race route

Dune buggy on race route

Landscape during the race

Me at halfway marker

Sidewalk smiley face on race route 

Patriotic supporter on race route 

     One of the coolest things about the Havasu Half is that some of the race is run on the London Bridge which is actually a portion of the London Bridge which was purchased by someone in Arizona and then moved from London to Lake Havasu.

Running towards London Bridge

The view of London Bridge

Me with Lake Havasu Half medal

     

     Overall, this was a very enjoyable race and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to run my first person race as well as check off a new state to have run in. I also think that a new part of racing in the COVID-19 era is that in addition to giving out race medals, race companies will also provide branded racing event face mask as a souvenir of the running event. 

Havasu Half medal and event souvenir facemask

Race Recap: Sawblade Texas 1/2 Marathon

Happy New Year! As usual, I welcomed in the new year by running a race in a different state. This year, I decided to begin the year by running the Sawblade Texas 1/2 Marathon in Kingwood, Texas.

Here's a photo of the Texas sized medal and squeezie dog that all participants received instead of an age reward.

This race consists of a marathon and a half marathon. The marathon began at 8am and the half marathon began at 8:15am. The marathon consists of completing four loops around local greenbelt trails while the half marathon consists of completing two loops around the local greenbelt trails.



I was excited to complete this race since this was my first race to welcome in the new year and also, I liked that the race doesn’t have an official time limit other than asking that runners be done before 5:30pm which is when the greenbelt trails are closed. There is a limit on the total number of participants which is 700. According to the race website, weather temperatures range between 32-60 degrees and on this race day, the weather was overcast and cold, but not unbearable.



I appreciated that there was water and Powerade available every 1.5 miles at each of the aid stations and snacks available at the start/stop aid station every 6.5 miles. Porta potties were located at the start line and at each aid station. The race course was flat, the volunteers were helpful, friendly, and encouraging which helped make this an enjoyable race to run.



The runners were friendly and constantly saying encouraging words to each other as they passed each other on the greenbelt trail. The only slight annoyance was that since so almost 700 people were running on the greenbelt at the same time, this lead to congested areas along the route at times. In addition, since both the marathon and half marathon are being run at the same time, you’ll always see someone on the course. Also, there are clear signs posted along the course so you don’t have to worry about possibly getting lost during the race.


The last reason why I love this race is the awesome race swag they give before and after the race. When picking up your race number, each participant also recta hat and a duffel bag. I especially liked that they don’t give out age awards but instead that everyone who finishes the 1/2 marathon or marathon receives a medal as well as a finisher squeezie critter will your overall finishing position on it. 2020 will be the year of the squeezie Happy Dog.


Recommendations: Due to the range of of temperatures between 30-60 degrees, I’d suggest having a light jacket and gloves available (if you are comfortable wearing these while running.)


Would I recommend this race: Definitely! This is a great 1/2 marathon to start off the new year since there are lots of aid stations. In addition, this race has no official time limit and the course remains open until 5:30pm. Also, since the are no age awards, all runners leave feeling accomplished for completing the race distance and having their overall finishing position on it.

Getting my run on and other changes

It's been forever since I've written on this blog but I have tons of news to write about. Since May, I've done two races, 6.2 miles at the Totally Awesome 80's Run at the Rose Bowl and 3.1 miles at the Girls on the Go run in San Dimas. Here are photos of the medal from both races.

Totally Awesome 80's Run medal

Me wearing Girls on the Go medal

In other news, after going vegan, exercising daily and running in races, I am happy to report that I am now officially 100 pounds lighter!!! The picture below shows me at my highest weight of 298 pounds and me at my current weight of 198 pounds.

Me at my heaviest and me 100 lbs. lighter

I think that the only thing that makes this better is the wider selection of clothing I can wear now. The picture below shows me wearing a small shirt for the first time;how awesome is that! In addition to this, I am excited because I'll be running at the Wine & Dine half marathon at Disney World in Florida next month I'm also going to be starting Insanity in the next complete of weeks. Wish me luck!

Me rocking a small shirt

Half marathon #3 done and getting some love at LBVE

This past Saturday, I completed my third half marathon at Marathon Mania in Long Beach. I was really stoked to participate because it was a smaller race (less than 30 people participating), the race had no time limit and it was my first time doing a running event on the beach. Not only was it a blast to do but I also achieved a personal record of 2:45! Here's photos of me after the race and my medal that was specially made in honor of Mother's Day.

After I finished doing the half marathon in Long Beach, me and Den decided to go try the food at Long Beach Vegan Eatery. Although it's gotten mixed reviews online, I felt I owed it to them to give the place a try. I think my biggest issues with the online reviews is that they complain the you have to bus your own table and that it's not the healthiest vegan food. The irony with this is that the restaurant plainly states on its menu that their goal is to make vegan comfort food that is tasty yet cruelty free.

Long Beach Vegan Eatery-Long Beach, CA

The restaurant was nice and big and the owners were very friendly. After reading the menu, I decided to try their LBV Beefless and Cheese sandwich, Den ordered the Mock Meatball Sub and we got a vegan grilled cheeze with fries to go along with a vegan rice crispy treat for Den's dessert and a whoopie pie for me.

LBV Beefless and Cheese Sandwich

This sandwich was pretty good but I asked for a side of veganaise because it was a little dry to me. I loved that the sandwich was pile high with vegan beef strips, onions, green peppers and mushrooms. Although you can't tell from this photo, there's cheese under the beef  as well. I enjoyed the sandwich and would definitely order it again.

Mock Meatball Sub with Sweet Potato Tots

Den ordered the mock meatball sub (made with TVP) with a side of sweet potato tots. The meatballs were smothered in marinara sauce and although the sauce wasn't bland, it also wan't earth shattering taste wise either. The meatballs were dense and tasty and the sweet potato tots were the perfect accompaniment to the massive sub.  



Vegan grilled cheeze with french fries

 Since we were full after eating the sandwiches yet wanted to try something else on the menu, we decided to order the vegan grilled cheeze off the kids menu. I'm not sure what cheeze they use for this sandwich but it's interesting.....not good or bad but different. The slices don't melt completely like but it does have a good amount of chewiness. I also like the wheat bread that they use for this sandwich-quite delish!

 



Vegan Rice Crispy Treat

For dessert, Den got a gluten free vegan rice crispy treat. It was simple but really good. Here's a photo of Den enjoying his dessert.



Den enjoying vegan rice crispy treat

Vegan whopie pie

Last but certainly not least was the vegan whoopie pie. It was so tasty I may go back there and just order this. It was two slices of chocolaty vegan cakes hugging a mount of thick sweet vanilla creme. When I took my first bite, I thought I died and went to vegan dessert heaven;yes, it's that good. Our trip to the Long Beach Vegan Eatery was tasty, fun, and filling; we're definitely gonna go back whenever we're in town.  



Second half marathon done!

I completed my second half marathon on the day before my 33rd birthday. It was the Hollywood Half Marathon and I was happy that I finished and I did so in 3:18 which was slightly faster than my finish time for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon that I did in January.
The day before the race, me and Dennis went to the Health & Fitness Expo at the Hilton in Universal Studios. Here's a picture of me and Marilyn Monroe and me posing with my racing bib.

The next morning I was nervous and excited about running this race. How would I do? Would I finish it in a decent time? Could I manage to complete the race without falling? Here's a photo of me at the starting line for the Hollywood Half Marathon.

I was super stoked to meet one of my favorite podcasters, Wendy from the Yell at Your Fat podcast as well as a member from the Black Girls Run L.A. Chapter. Of course I had to take photos:-)

The rest of the race was pretty uneventful although there was a point where my left foot was hurting so badly I had to stop my running/walking plan at mile 8 but even with that happening, I was still able to finish under 3 and a half hours so yay me! Here's photos of the medal and me wearing the Hollywood Half Marathon shirt.

 
 

I plan to run a couple of more half marathons before the end of the year and the next one will by the Wine and Dine at Disney World in Florida followed by one in October and a Holiday Half in December. Wish me luck!

Completing my first half marathon

I completed my first half marathon (Tinkerbell Half Marathon) on Sunday! Although my finishing time was 3:19 (with a time limit of 3:50), I'm proud of myself for completing a exercise goal I set for myself. I woke up at 3:00 am Sunday morning got dressed and then went online for a minute to calm my nerves about the race. Around 3:30 am, I woke Den up so he could dressed and we could walk down to the hotel and catch the shuttle to Disneyland. Disneyland is a magical place during the day but early in the morning with no one there, its kind of surreal. Once we got there, it was amazing to see so many people there dressed as Tinkerbell, Peter Pan and other Disney characters as well as people dressed like regular people going out for a run. I took the opportunity to take a photo next to the mile 4 marker since we still had time before the race began. 

 Soon we arrived at the entrance and I took a photo with some pirates before heading to the main event stage and then carroll D where I'd be starting the race from. 

 I run the race using a combination of running for 4 minutes then walking for 1 minute.....in the beginning. Eventually, I began to walk more and run less because my foot started to hurt. Around mile 8, I fell while stepping up on a curb and scratched up my right elbow and knee. After some nice fellow runners helped me up, I brushed myself off and kept on going until the end. While a little part of me felt I should get my injuries checked out at the medical tent area, I decided I'd worry about that at the finish line. 

I know my form wasn't pretty and I didn't look like a runner but darn it I was going to get my Tinkerbell medal! After the race, I was so happy it was over and was super stoked to get my medal and finally wear my reward for completing the race-a "I completed the Tinkerbell Half Marathon" shirt. Although the race was hard and trying at times, I enjoyed the camaraderie I felt with the other runners and I loved the sense of pride I felt by having earned a medal rather than just being given something for participating. 

I am planning to resume my half marathon training schedule once I'm healed up since I signed up for the Hollywood Half Marathon in April. I'm also really considering doing another Disney run in October (Wine & Dine 1/2 Marathon) so I could get two medals;a medal for the Wine and Dine and a medal for running a Disney race on the East and West Coast.