I used to hate running. I hated it when I was doing sports in middle school, and it didn’t interest me even one bit years after that. When I was around 23, I felt so miserable one Christmas eve and went home alone after work. Everyone else was working and I decided to celebrate Christmas my way. I had nothing to do and I needed something to do to get my mind off things. So I dressed comfortably, laced my rubber shoes, and proceeded to the coldness of our small garage. I flipped the lights on and there it was, an old dusty treadmill that no-one really bothered to use. I hopped on and remember thinking… everyone’s stuffing their mouths tonight and I’m here, about to attempt working out. Great. I think I lasted just a mile lol. It seemed forever at the time but I felt like I accomplished something really great that night.

That was the start of my fitness journey but it wasn’t years later that running has become a lifestyle.

2013. I remember my very first and only 5k race so far. It was the inaugural 5k race in UCDavis where my cousin went to study at the time. To support her Alma Matter, my older brother and myself agreed to run with her on the day after my birthday. All three of us were inexperienced. We arrived with poor preparation, no hydration, and 3 hr sleep haha. Nevertheless, we all finished and I was dead last out of the trio!

2014. I wasn’t constantly running but my second race event didn’t happen until the following year. I challenged myself to complete a 10k race so I took the invitation to run a Turkey Trot event with friends from a local gym. Twice, I took up a virtual challenge with friends on Facebook and we would run everyday for the entire month.

The First Half – Baptism by Sweat, Snot, and Storm

5/9/2015

So after all the hesitance to register, stubbornness, and self-doubt… I finally completed my first ever half marathon yesterday morning. Hooray! Half Freaking Marathon! Check! Draw a line across that joint! Fist in the air! clapclapclap

Would you believe… I crossed that finish line completely drenched from the heavy rain? Yup… it rained. Hard. Actually, it was just me not paying attention to the weather when I signed up for this. Then again… rain or shine! It said so on the event info. Although tbh I was more concerned with my other dilemma… period or no period! Did you just ate a lime? Don’t make that face >____<

Again, it’s always the first times that I have struggles with running and I definitely felt it yesterday. I was out of breath with only 5 miles in, my calves started cramping with 5 miles to go, then I was reduced to my jogging pace… hoping I don’t hit dun dun dunnnn… the wall. Normally, I don’t set a time to beat especially if it’s my first time as I did with the 10k race. As the race day approaches however, I suddenly developed a finishing time in my mind, but mother nature put me in my place and righteously so lol. It’s as if to remind me that I’m running into uncharted territories, don’t expect too much of anything from myself and just enjoy running in the rain. So for the last few miles, I took off my thin jacket as I was completely drenched anyway, rolled up my shirt sleeves so I can feel more rain pelts, I listened more to my epic playlist, and made sure my legs and feet weren’t giving out on me! Gladly, I made it past the finish line with a proud smile on my face.

It really did felt like… 3 hrs into sleeping, I dreamt of running 2:15:50 hrs in the torrential rain. Yup, due to over excitement, I had that much sleep lol and that’s actually my finishing time =) Not too bad and I feel like I want to experience running in heavy rain again. Definitely looking forward to it!

The following month in March, everything has completely changed. Gone were the pacing and obsessively checking the time so I could try to PR. I have discovered something that suited my personality more and it was love at first try. I have discovered… trail running.

Never Say Die!

3/28/2015

So it happened, my first 10k trail run! It was definitely a lot different than what I’m accustomed to, running on flat surfaces for the most part. It’s also definitely a lot of challenge and it taught me many things about my own body, fitness level, and the park I thought I knew very well! There were places and trails in the park that I haven’t ventured into before and I found myself facing steep inclines after steep inclines and there I was reminded by the importance of perfect synchronicity of mind, heart, body, and soul. I wasn’t reminded because I was 100% synched through and through in this race but because there were a lot of times that I felt like I wasn’t in perfect harmony at all. For example, I find myself walking an incline but my mind shouts to run. Then there are times my body pushes too hard sprinting down the hills and my mind becomes a little careless. I feel like there are plenty of things to improve on and I intend to make them. Today tho, I am happy with completing this event and thankful that I can run at all.

On April that year, I ran my first 10-miler in Sacramento, CA. It was the

Capital City Classic 10 Miler.
Capital City Classic

4/29/2015

I went home with a very important lesson learned. Only eat what you ate on trainings. I went to suck on an orange slice at the second AS and it didn’t sit well in my stomach. I didn’t feel the full effects until after the race and good thing I made it home just in time for some explosive celebration lol. It wasn’t fun the rest of the day but the race itself was worth it.

I came to race with a goal of setting up a 10-mile baseline time and the result was around 1:40 hr. I am content with it, despite the pre-race concern about my right foot, I think I did well. I spent the two nights prior to race day doing pool exercises and soaking my feet in the hot tub to ease the stabbing pain inside my right ankle. Luckily, it went away so yeah, it’s nice to run another road race and I feel like I can definitely improve the next time I run a 10-miler.

On May, I ran another 10k on the trails in the East Bay.

Wildcatt

5/15/2015

Saturday. Race day. Skipped the morning carpool and drove to the event by myself. I needed to be alone but I also didn’t want to miss the race as I already signed up for it and even got other people to run the event with me. Tbh, I wasn’t feeling at a hundred percent. Still trying to bounce back from the illness and I have a lot of questions for him and things weighing in my mind and heart. While I usually prefer a chill weather on race day, it wasn’t helping my runny nose at all so I find it pretty hard to breathe properly. On top of all these were the steep hills!! So much steep hills and I can’t help but think of those poor souls who signed up for this event as their first ever 10k… on a trail… with those deym hills. The view on top was still very rewarding tho. My legs were already tired and my right plantar started acting so I decided to hike some parts and take in the sceneries. Wildcat Canyon Regional Park is amazingly beautiful and I recommend if you want to hike/run with a great view of the whole East Bay.

Wildcatt. Yup, I entered the race mainly because of the name haha. Overall, it was still a fun experience. I always feel a sense of accomplishment each time I finish a race (4th in age-group) and that makes me happy. I’m also very glad that my running friends enjoyed the trail run as well as the food (lol) and very proud that they were able to sweep the 3rd place in their respective age-groups. One of them even did a half marathon! So incredibly amazing and seeing them joyful makes me happy as well.

On June the following month, I hit another personal milestone. It was a long race on a trail for me but I was glad to see my running friends waiting for me at the finish line.

Canyon Lynch Trail Half

6/12/2015

First trail running half marathon? DONE! That was last week at Lynch Canyon Trail. It was my first day off coming from pm shift that had me stay at work til 1 am. About 3 hrs later, I woke up still sore from Wednesday’s Body Combat.. rethought about the race and tried deciding between 10k or a half. However, I spent months looking forward to this race actually and said I was gonna run my first trail half marathon here.

And sooo I decided to show up 25 minutes before the race, sign up, and line up for the porta-potties! Only 5 of them there! So the funny thing was I was exactly hovering over the toilet when the horn went off. Opps. Gotta run.

When July came, I ran when I could but I didn’t care for events. News of my mom’s diagnosis of Acute Leukemia prompted me to be by her side while she went for treatments and hospital confinements.

The last race I ran for 2015 was on September 12. It was the longest distance I’ve ever ran thus far. 30k on the trails in Lagoon Valley Regional Park. It was challenging, and I had no proper training. All I knew was I wanted to run for my mom. By the second loop, everything in my lower extremities were cramping and I was about ready to give up for the first time then I remember who I’m doing it for. I jogged, walked, hobbled up the hills, and across the finish line. I was the dead last finisher but I learn that it’s ok. No matter how hard, and how challenging a trail or a trial is before you… you put up a fight and you finish victorious. Eight days later, my mother passed away surrounded by her loving family. She put up a fight and still finished victorious.