raising politics and how you can apply it at your breakroom in your office!

Today I ended up speaking to my mom for a little over an hour. I called her because well, I missed her and rainy days always make me think of the times she would open all of the windows in the house and let the cool breeze come in and hit our feet as we walked through to the kitchen.

In this conversation I realize I have grown. Yeah, a little late in making this realization but trust me, it really hit me today.

She tells me how my dad and herself have taken enormous pride in raising my sister and I. What provoked this comment?! I had to ask. She said she is reading Avery Johnson's new book, a biography I believe, and she wanted to mention how he teaches his kids to be respectful of others and yourself & how people can perceive so much in the way a child acts or behaves in public. She tells me that whenever she would pick my sister and I up from relatives, day cares, summer camps, etc she would always get the compliment of how quiet, refined, and even well-behaved we were during our stay. They would ask what the secret was and she would say, "Respect...teach them to be respectful". Simple, right, she asks me. Sure. I never have known any other way.

One thing about the way my sister and I were raised was how admit my parents were devoted in teaching & making us understand our sense of self. We understand each other, we listen, we care, and we love. That is all we know. That was all we were taught. My sister and I have an undying love for each other. I cannot think of a time where we have had a fight. I think the last was probably when we were kids or something...if at that. We were taught to never fight with each other. Love one another because we are all we have. Unconditional love that never stops regardless. The little things shouldn't bother us because we are sisters...because we love. I kind of explained it this way for my mom (w/more or less words) whilst talking to her over the phone today. I heard her smile.

Then we went into the world of politics. She was telling me how ignorant people at work sound in the breakroom when they say that Obama isn't patriotic bc he doesn't wear a flag on his lapel or hold his hand over his heart during the National Anthlem. I ask her if she says anything and she says she would rather not. She told me how frustrated she has been these past 8 years. War, monetary problems, she's changed occupations 3 times so far in the past 4 years, and just in general how hard it is to get back into school, get a loan for a home and school, etc. I encouraged her to speak up when people said ignorant stuff. I reminded her that unless she opens her mouth she will continue to hear this ignorance all around her from her 'own people' as she called them (mostly Hispanic who work with her). I heard anger and disappointment in my mom's voice tonight. It made me sad and it made me feel so useless.

When do you think things will change? When do you think people will realize that that party that sits in the White House is the reason for our 8 years of just 'barely making it through'?! When will change happen?

I asked my mom that same question and she said, "Well, I guess when someone speaks up and tells them to educate themselves!" I agreed. I told her to speak up and educate them with the same notions my parents taught my sister and I--respect.

Well, I did it. I ran fucken 6.22 miles in yesterday's 10k!

It was tough but I did it! I got through the majority of it without much injury, in fact with no serious injuries. I am a little sore today but nothing I can't handle. I was that I was able to get through it and smile my way home knowing I did it!!!

All day I had been mentally preparing myself and physically getting ready 2 hrs before the race. I had a lot of anxiety, nervousness, anticipation, and even a feeling of 'oh shit! i am really doing this!?!". I was also bummed because about 2 hours before the race, my running & training partner was flaking out at the last minute. I am not sure what the exact reason was in flaking out last minute but he mentioned something about his kids wanted to eat dinner so he was just going to spend that money he was going to put for the race to feed his kids. He wasn't there so there in lay another realization that I would have to do this whole race on my own and without anyone anyone's push.

By the time I arrived to the run site I was nervous as heck. I tried not to drink much water before we stepped off because I didn't want to run the chance of my bladder begging me to empty it. I stretched, listened to some Kayne West to pump me up and situated myself in the middle of the group.

Because there were so many people running in the race, by the time i stepped off and away from the start line around 6:38pm. Miles 1-3 weren't too bad but the hills sucked along the way. Here's the map of the course:

All in all I made it through and stopped at every water stop to drink at one and the next I would pour it over my head. The cooling stations were really nice and so were the bartenders who stood outside the bars with super soakers who wet us as we ran past.

Towards the end I saw a man in a wheelchair and was clapping along he sidelines rooting us on as we ran. At the time that i saw him I was walking and as soon as we made eye contact I made it a point to pick it up and start running the last 2 miles. I saw him around the 4 mile mark.

When I turned the corner and saw the big red box that said "FINISH" across the top of the frame I knew I was home. I knew that I would soon be able to stop my legs from moving fast and get some really nice cold Gaterade. As I approached closer to the sign I felt all of these tingles all over my head and throughout my body. I felt instantly happy and had this natural high. I know at some point I wanted to cry and when I realized I wanted to cry I noticed I was crossing the finish line and the Nike staff was taking pictures of us all.

I am not sure what it was that hit me as soon as I saw that finish line closer and closer as I ran and ran to it. Seratonin? Perhaps...but I can tell you this. I feel really good today despite sore thighs and a shinsplit feeling in my right leg. I did it. I did my first 10K and I was the one that pushed myself to do it.

Trust me, I had second thoughts about it about 3 hrs before the race but I knew that all of the training I did, the runs, the miles, and the hard work I did was not going to just be pushed aside so I could miss one of the largest running events in the world!

I read there were 13,800 runners in Austin! :o) I stepped off at 6:38pm with one goal in mind--get my ass across that finish line regardless of time. At 8:08pm, I crossed the finish line with a huge smile & those 6.22 miles under the drawstrings of my running shorts. :o) I did it, muthafunkers!!! :o) HELL YES!!!

....now I start boot camp tomorrow at 5:30am to get ready for the Austin Half Marathon in February! There is more to come. This was ONLY THE BEGINNING! :)!!!!