Life Doesn't Always Go As Planned...

Well, the 13 half marathons in 2013 didn't quite work out. But I am still running. I hit a little slump in the winter... despite my best efforts, winter is always hard for me to get through. I did get back on track. I forced myself to go to San Antonio in January for the Hero-Thon. Several of my friends were going and I decided to meet up with them there. Looking back, I should have skipped that one because I think it set me back even more but it's all good. And I got this cool medal for showing up and crossing the finish line!

On a more positive note... by March I was gaining strength again and got an email that I got into the inaugural Nike Women's Half in Washington DC. This race was a lot more fun. I got to take in the sites...

I will say, this trip was more of a solo trip for me. While I had friends there who were participating through TNT, I spent the majority of my time on my own. I had no idea how much I needed that. Sometimes, I think we all need some time away from home and alone in our own thoughts, at least I do anyway. One of the highlights of my trip was going out to Arlington Cemetery and finding the gravestone of one my great uncles. He was a respected General so they gave him this gigantic gravestone.

Now, several months later I feel I'm gaining my health back. I'm training once again for San Francisco and getting so excited I can hardly stand it. We recently had another Grape Stomp fundraising event, it was overall very successful. I raised nearly all of the funds needed for LLS! Here we are after the event celebrating :)

Running continues to change and transform me as a person. It's making me stronger than I've ever been. And when you're strong, you learn to set more boundaries in your life. I've learned to get rid of toxic people and let positive people in. Life is good...real good!

Running Crazy in 2013

So I've decided to run 13 Half Marathons in 2013. 13 13.1's in 2013! My first race I've registered for this year is the Hero-thon in San Antonio on January 27th. I'm thinking about dressing up like Wonder Woman...No, really. The race is benefiting LLS which is great because that's kinda what grew this passion I have for running in the first place. My first half was with LLS at the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. Wow! What an experience. I trained with Team in Training for 5 months preparing for the big day and at the same time I raised $3400 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! Yeah!! I will definitely be doing the same event again this October! The views were spectacular!

We even got this awesome Tiffany necklace at the finish line.

Oh,and I almost forgot to mention it was Firemen dressed in Tuxedo's who handed us the little blue boxes with the necklaces...

but I digress... So now, I'm on my next journey of running in 2013. I want to get out and meet even more fellow runners. I want to run more miles at a faster pace. And I want to travel to a few places along the way. I know for me, last year was a transformational experience. Running became my therapy. I have cried, laughed and had somewhat "breakthrough" moments during my long runs and I've talked to others who have as well. As I write more entries I'll share more of my experiences and the experiences of running friends who let me tell their stories. And who knows- maybe I'll meet some new friends through this little blog. Happy New Year and Happy Running! -Ang