Bakersfield Blacklight Run Race Recap

      This past weekend, I participated in two running events, the Bakersfield Black Light Run on Saturday and then the Bakersfield Half Marathon on Sunday. Completing the black light run was memorable since I hadn't run this type of race before and also, my hubby decided to run this race with me. This was an fun run but definitely challenging due to it being set at the local fairgrounds which was rocky in some points and unclear race signage on the course. Below are photos from before and after the event.

Banner at Blacklight run

Hubby and me before blacklight run

Waiting for the run to begin

Hubby and me after blacklight run with our medals

Blacklight run medal

2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge is Done!

Each year, I take one reading challenges as a way to get outside of my reading comfort zone. For the past couple of years, I've been sticking with the Popsugar Reading Challenge which contains a total 50 books.

Below is a list of all the books I read for the 2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge along with their reading prompt. If you wanted to see more of the books I've read this year, you can check out my Goodreads profile at: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/15431036.

2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge:

1. A book becoming a movie in 2019: The Kitchen by Ollie Masters
2. A book that makes you nostalgic: Courting Miss Hattie by Pamela Morsi
3. A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction): My Love Story by Tina Turner
4. A book you think should be turned into a movie: Black by Kwanza Osajyefo
5. A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
6. A book with a plant in the title or one the cover: Empty Bottle Full of Stories by R.H. Sin
7. A reread of a favorite book: Love Poems for Married People by John Kenney
8. A book about a hobby: Women in Gaming by Meagan Marie
9. A book you meant to read in 2018: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff at Work by Richard Carlson
10. A book with "pop," "sugar," or "challenge" in the title: Sugar & Spice by Keith Lee Johnson
11. A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover: Thong on Fire by Noire
12. A book inspired by mythology, legend, or folklore: Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
13.  A book published posthumously: My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King
14. A book set in space: Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks
15. A book by two female authors: Shifting by Charisse Jones & Kumea Shorter-Gooden
16. A book with a title that contains "salty," "sweet," bitter,"or "spicy": Hotel at the Corner of Bitter & Sweet by Jamie Ford
17. A book set in Scandinavia: The 100 -Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
18. A book that takes place in a single day: The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker
19. A debt novel: How High the Moon by Karyn Parsons
20. A book that's published in 2019: Death Wins a Goldfish by Brian Rea
21. A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature: The Magic of the Unicorn by Deborah Lerme Goodman
22. A book recommended by a celebrity you admire: Braving the Wilderness (recommended by Reese Witherspoon) by Brene Brown
23. A book with "love" in the title: Gun Love by Jennifer Clement
24. A book featuring an amateur detective: Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer
25. A book about a family: We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
26. A book written by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America: Eye Level by Jenny Xie
27. A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in the title: Aries by Joanna Martine Woolfolk
28. A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie: Between the Sheets (Read by Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad) by Molly O'Keefe
29. A retelling of a classic: The Pied Piper of Hamlin by Russell Brand
30. A book with a question in the title: Can I Taste It? by David Weaver
31. A book set on a college or university campus: Check, Please by Ngozi Ukazu
32. A book about someone with a superpower: Ellie Ultra by Gina Bellisario
33. A book told from multiple character POV: My Century by Gunter Grass
34. A book that includes a wedding: Something New by Lucy Kinsley
35. A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Megan Mullally
36. A ghost story: Infidel by Pornsak Pichetshote
37. A book with a two-word title: The Mister by E.L. James
38. A novel based on a true story: Josephine Baker's Last Dance by Sherry Jones
39. A book revolving around a puzzle or game: Word Freak by Stefan Fatsis
40. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: Walking with Peety (2018 Challenge: Book with an animal of the cover) by Eric O'Grey
41. A "cli-fi" (climate fiction) book: Thirst by Benjamin Warner
42. A "choose-your-own-adventure" book: Lost in Austen by Emma Campbell Webster
43. An "own voices" book: Black & Brown Faces in America's Wild Places Dudley Edmondson
44. Read a book during the season it is set in: Early Autumn by Richard B. Parker
45. A LitRPG book: Accidental Thief by C.J. Davis
46. A book with no chapters, unusual chapter heading, or unconventionally number chapters: The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan
47. Two books that share the same title (1): All Through the Night by Connie Brockway
48. Two books that share the same title (2): All Through the Night by Mary Higgins Clark
49. A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom (e.g., Big Brother from 1984): Taming of the Shrew (break the ice) by William Shakespeare
50. A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent: Finding Grace by Daphne Greer

Race Recap:Fort Collins Human Race 1/2 Marathon

On Saturday, July 27,  I completed my third half marathon for the year which was the Fort Collins Human Race Half Marathon in Fort Collins, Colorado. The race was the first time race run in a different altitude however this didn't really impact my running experience. Here is my outfit laid out the night before the race.

Running using 4/1 intervals (run four minutes and walk one minute.) has worked well for me and the course was pretty flat except for a little section of running on unpaved road. I enjoyed this half marathon because of the beautiful scenery on the race course. I finished in a time of 3:06:51 and am happy to check off Colorado from my list of states to run in. Below are photos from race day.

Me before the start of Fort Collins Human Race 1/2 Marathon

Half marathon scenery

                        Half marathon scenery

Half marathon scenery

Me after the 1/2 Marathon

Me post race with race medal

Fort Collins Human Race 1/2 Marathon Finisher Medal

Anniversary Trip to Colorado and Attending Vegfest Colorado

     This past June, me and hubby celebrated our thirteenth wedding anniversary by taking a trip to Colorado to attend the annual Colorado Vegfest in Broomfield, Coloardo. Here's a photo from the airport at Grand Junction, Colorado 

 Since I'm a librarian, no trip to a new state would be complete without a visit to the local library. The library employee was friendly and I was able to get a souvenir library card.

 As we drove to our hotel in Broomfield, I used the Happy Cow App to locate vegan options nearby and was surprised to discover Brothers BBQ which offers bbq tofu sandwich as well as the impossible burger.

Brothers BBQ in Broomfield, CO

BBQ Tofu sandwich with fries

Broomfield, Coloardo was also home to another source of yummy vegan food at Ganesa Thai Restaurant.Below are photos from the restaurant as well as the food we ate while at the restaurant.

Ganesa Thai Restaurant in Broomfield, CO

Vegan tomyam soup with vegan seafood

Vegan pad see ew with tofu

Freshly made mango smoothie

Veggie spring rolls with sauce

 The second day of our trip, we attended the annual Vegfest Colorado vegan festival in Broomfield, Colorado on July 27. Below are photos from our day at the Vegfest.

Roadside sign for Vegfest Colorado

Me at Vegfest Colorado

Lemon coloche

Vegan philly cheesesteak

Vegan mozzarella sticks with sauce 

My favorite food from the Vegfest was veganized Taco Bell food made by the Vegan Van food truck which is shown below of nacho fries, a crunch wrap and gordita crunch.
 

Me and vegan chef JL Fields have been online friends since 2009 so it was a fun to surprise her by coming to the see her in person at Vegfest Colorado. After she finished doing a vegan meal prep demo, I surprised her, gave her hugs. I was lucky enough to have been chosen to be a recipe tester for one of her most recently cookbooks "The Vegan Air Fryer" so I had her autograph her cookbook for me as well.

While at Vegfest Colorado, I also met Kitten the Vegan Pirate, a woman who lost over 300 pounds by adopting a vegan diet.

Before leaving Vegfest Colorado, I stayed for the closing talk given by former German strongman Patrick Baboumian. Patrick was funny, engaging and interesting. During his talk, he spoke about his upbringing as well as what lead him to become vegan and how veganism has impacted his athlete pursuits. After he finished his talk, I purchased his new book and took a photo with him.

Vegfest Colorado was fun, informative and entertaining. I can't wait to attend my next out of state vegan festival!

Experience from first ever Bakersfield Vegan Fest

Saturday, April 20th was the first ever Bakersfield Vegan Fest. The event was held on the east side of Bakersfield and shared space with the Haggin Oaks Farmers Market.I love the fact that all the vegan vendors were local to the Bakersfield area. Unfortunately since the event was sharing space with the regular farmer's market, it wasn't a complete vegan event. Upon arriving at the event, I realized that all the vegan vendors were on one side of the farmer's market, so I decided to just focus on see what was offered and having a good time.

Below are photos of the food I ate as well as a photo of meeting two vegan friends (a mom and daughter duo) who live in Bakersfield and a tee shirt I bought to celebrate this first time event. This was a good first effort to introduce veganism and vegan food to non-vegans and I'm excited about what other types of vegan events will be done in the future.

Brunch Purepa from Vida Vegan Co.

 Vegan chocolate chip cookie from Better Bowls

Mambo Italiano vegan pizza from Bakersfield Pizza Company

Vegan volcano roll sushi from Solfood

Grilled veggies by Freddie_rec

Me with vegan mom and daughter duo at vegan fest 

Vegan Fest T Shirt

40th Birthday Celebration and Race Recap: Bridge Street Half Marathon

     On Monday, April 8th, I turned 40 years old. I celebrated reaching this milestone by returning to my hometown of Huntsville, Alabama, having a joint 40th birthday party with my best friend since 7th grade, and running a half marathon.

Best Friend and me celebrating turning 40 this year

Me with my sister (and mom behind us waving) at 40th birthday party

This was an exciting time because this race was the first time my family would get a chance to see me run. Although my mom and sister we're able to able to attend my race due to a prior engagement, my dad did show up so I definitely felt supported by my family. Also, while at the race, I met a wonderful group of ladies from the Black Girls Run Greater Huntsville Chapter. For me, I'm always excited when I see other black women at running events because it reminds me that I'm not alone in working towards improving myself through running. It was a great half marathon which was fairly flat, the weather was good and I can now say that I've run a race in my hometown.

My dad and me before Bridgestreet Half Marathon

Black Girls Run Greater Huntsville Chapter Group Photo

Me after Bridgestreet Half Marathon with finisher medal

Race Recap: Modesto Half Marathon

 Today I completed my first half marathon for the year which is the Modesto Half Marathon in Modesto, California. The race was the first time I tried running using 4/1 intervals (run four minutes and walk one minute.) I enjoyed this half marathon because the course was fairly flat and I even achieved a personal best time of 3:01:36! Below are two photos from before and after the half marathon.