Xavierism

There goes 1655!

Hollywood Half Marathon / April 7th, 2012

Truly felt blessed sharing Orthodox Good Friday during The Procession with The Epitaphios at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. After Mass, I attended Happy Hour with a few friends and enjoyed great conversations. I left such great company early because I had to return home and do a bit of house cleaning. I'm the Hazel of this house!

I haven't ran all that much this week. My legs have slowly come around and seem to be ready for tomorrow's Sabino Canyon Sunset Run. This was a rough run for me last year. My goal is to have fun and cross the finish line with a better time.

House and bird cages are clean. Tortilla Soup is ready to be placed into containers and stored in the freezer. I am ready to celebrate Orthodox Easter.

*****CHEERS!*****

A Collection of Thoughts

***Random Play

*Idina Menzel: I Stand

*Jamie Drake: When I Was Yours

*Jonny Diaz: More Beautiful You

*Tara MacLean: Passenger

*Lamb: Between Darkness & Wonder

*Amanda Marshall: Tuesday's Child

We're already into April of 2012. When I was in my 20's and enjoying Life's thrills and surprises, I never once thought about how Life would be while in my 40's. Now I find myself asking God to slow down the Wheel of Time. Older I get the more I realize how valuable moments really are & embrace the joy for each breath that I'm allowed and given.

This coming Saturday, I will be running the Hollywood Half Marathon. This will be my 5th Half Marathon this year and 11th overall since I took up running last year. I look forward to running through the streets of Hollywood.

I took up running again for the sole purpose of losing weight. So many times I've lost weight over and over again through proper nutrition and running...only to stop completely and continue the Yo Yo Dieting Syndrome. This time I have stuck to the program and can finally state that this has become a lifestyle. I've worked so hard to turn back. I've ran so many miles only to gain all the weight back and lose self confidence. I have a great support group of friends and fellow runners. Mornings when I don't want to run, I remind myself how lonely I felt when I was overweight. The weight gain always affects my social life. I feel heavy and overweight, I avoid social outings with friends. I'm blessed and thankful that I haven't felt this way in over two years.

One of the joys of running, in my opinion, is facing your demons through self meditation and therapy during runs. It's just me and the open road. Music is usually playing very low but when the voices in my head start to overwhelm my thoughts, I have no choice but to deal with situations head on. I find that I'm not as stressed as before. There's nothing like running or playing tennis and working up a good sweat.

I'm not a great runner so I can't give tips on running but I feel I am qualified to share the simple joys of running. I will never win a race. I will never be at the top of my age division. I will however be listed as someone that completed a race. I will take joy that the weight continues to stay off. At 47, I'm more determined to take care of this body than ever before.

I so wanted to run this morning but decided to lay off and save the fresh legs for Saturday's race. I want to run a good race. I know I have it in me.

Holy week is always so special. Easter brings back so many wonderful memories from my childhood. I can remember the beautiful Easter baskets filled with chocolate goodies that would be waiting for us after Sunday Mass. I will have a few chocolates on Easter as a reward.

The older I get the more I relish in the simple joys of Life. Countless Blessings are all around me.

Current Music: Jamie Drake's Beautiful

Current Mood: Thankfully thankful for This Very Moment!

Just Let Go...

Monterey Bay / November 21st, 2011

In the still of the moment...just let go and feel. Let go and listen to the music of silence. We often forget about the gift of this moment. Let go, feel & count your blessings...

*****CHEERS!*****

Current Music: Texas' Say What You Want

Current Mood: Simply Blessed

What to Wear, What to Wear...

It's been a great week. My body and legs feel good. I can't recall feeling this good prior to a race since The Southern California Half Marathon this past Jan & The Arizona IMS Half Marathon in Feb. I'm looking forward to The Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon this coming Sunday. What to wear, what to wear? I think I'll go with the Red or Yellow Nike Running Shirt and a pair of Capri Running Tights.

*****CHEERS!*****

Current Music: Paradise Oskar's Da Da Dam

Current Mood: Shoop Shoop Excited!

Phoenix Friday

Early Morning - San Francisco 1st Half Marathon - July 31st, 2011

***Random Play

*Marc Broussard: Self Titled CD

*Andrea Marchant: Counting Down

*Matt York: Mine

*Alison Krauss & Union Station: Paper Airplane

*Nathan Angelo: Follow Your Heart

*Sarah McLachlan: Laws of Illusion

Friday after the San Francisco Half Marathon. Where did the time go? It was just last week I was worried about running the race last Sunday. I did okay. Simple reminder to myself that one must have Faith. Looking forward to Happy Hour this evening at home with a few special people in my life. Ready to enjoy the weekend...hope each of you does the same.

*****CHEERS!*****

Current Music: Sarah McLachlan's Loving You Is Easy

Current Mood: Thirsty, Hungry & Happy!

San Francisco 1st Half Marathon

***Random Play

*Andrea Lynn Marchant: Counting Down

*Marc Broussard: Self Titled CD

*Alison Krauss & Union Station: Paper Airplane

*Matt York: Mine

*Sarah McLachlan: Laws of Illusion

*The Script: Science & Faith

It's been a few days since the The San Francisco Half Marathon. I've been taking in all of the joy. I was completely nervous about this race. This was my worst showing for a Half Marathon (2:36:00) but it's also one that means the most to me. I wasn't expected to run or be prepared to stand at the Start Line and cross the Finish Line. I'm blessed to share that Cancer wasn't present and that I recovered in time to race and earn a Finisher's Medal. To me, that's all that matters.

The little joys of Life. Breathe in. Breathe out. Thankful & blessed. Would I want to race this again next year? I've been telling myself no...but now it's a maybe. For now I'll simply enjoy the Blessings.

*****CHEERS!*****

Current Music: The Script's For The First Time

Current Mood: Thankful, Blessed, & Loved

Pre-Race Update ~~ San Francisco Half Marathon

Another Pool Moment with Clare!

***Random Play

*Allison Krauss & Union Station: Paper Airplane

*Marc Broussard: Self Titled CD

*Terra Naomi: To Know I'm OK

*Jon McLaughlin: OK Now

*Melissa Polinar: As Of Now

*Alex Band: We've All Been There

Two days before the San Francisco Half Marathon! I'm so excited about this race. The main reason I decided to enter this race was so that I could run on the Golden Gate bridge. I have done all I could to run an OK race. I plan to enjoy this weekend and be thankful that my health and body are both on the mends. Pics with my Finisher's Medal will be included in my next post. Until then, may each of you have a fabulous weekend!

*****CHEERS!*****

Current Music: Marc Broussard's Lucky

Current Mood: Hungry, Thankful & Blessed!

Faith Carries Me

Enjoying Pool Fun with Clare!

***Random Play

*Gary Go: Self Titled CD

*Allison Krauss & Union Station: Paper Airplane

*Natalie Merchant: Leave Your Sleep - Part II

*Terra Naomi: To Know I'm OK

*Sade: The Ultimate Collection - CD 2

*Alex Band: We've All Been There

I can appreciate this very moment. My Lungs are filled with fresh air and the glorious smell of just brewed coffee. Perfect combo! If you're reading this, you and I are alive. That fact alone is worthy of great joy.

This has been an emotional month. I've undergone two surgeries. The second surgery was to remove precancerous cells. The fear of the unknown can be overwhelming without Faith. I'm so thankful that Faith carried me through the dark moments. I'm also grateful for my wonderful friends within my inner circle that supported me throughout this personal hell. Thank you.

I had to take a few breaks from running this month so I'm behind in my training schedule for the 2011 San Francisco Half Marathon. I really had to push myself to find my groove and gain confidence heading into Sunday's race. I doubt I'll set a PR but that's OK. For this race, I simply want a decent time, cross the Finish Line with the 3 hour limit, and collect my Finisher's Medal. The weather will be almost 50 degrees cooler in SF than here in Phoenix so the heat won't be a factor. I hope to benefit from that factor alone. I owe a great deal to Running: I've lost weight and continue to keep the weight off, feel worthy of a glance in the mirror every now and then and not feel ashamed, and have become closer to God, Angels, & my Patron Saints. My Conversations with God during runs are meaningful and so very personal. It's true what my Buelita would always say, "Always carry a few strands of Faith in your pocket because without them, Life can be a lonely place." Faith carries me when I can't seem to carry myself. Thank you for allowing me to share.

*****CHEERS!*****

Current Music: Terra Naomi's To know I'm OK

Current Mood: Thankful

Sabino Canyon Sunset Run - 7.4 Miles

  Sabino Canyon Sunset Run 7.4 miles (Tucson) - Official time: 1:28:32

***Randon Play

*Will Young: The Hits

*Corrinne May: Safe In A Crazy World

*Gary Go: Self Titled CD

*Diana Winter: Escapizm

*Nathan Angelo: Through Playing Me

*Crystal Bowersox: Farmer's Daughter

I am so far behind with my blog updates. It's been a busy two weeks. In this economy, I'm grateful that I have been kept busy thanks to wonderful clients and added contracts. Last weekend, I ran the Sabino Canyon Sunset Run. I was looking forward to this run. Friends often ask how do I decided on which races I intend to run. It's actually quite easy. I'm not the greatest of runners so I have to be strategic in my planning. When I started running again, I promised myself that I would run at least one race each month. The that would allow me ample time for recovery. I've sticked with the game plan for 2011 so far. April has actually been a busy running month. Back to race planning, when considering a race, I ask my partner, Rodan, which cities he'd like to visit on weekend getaway trips. So I go online and search running events depending on his answers. He used to live in California so it's the main reason why my first race of the year was in Irvine, California: Kaiser Permanente Southern California Half Marathon.

So for last week's race in Tucson, I knew that Rodan had never been down to Sabino Canyon. So this race was now a done deal. You'd think that at my age, I know the basics about running events. I'm a beginner that lives within the ruunning world in my mind. What I think of certain events based upon their web sites and pictures, I quickly take bits and stick them in the back of my brain. So of course, the actual events are never like what I picture them to be. After the last two races, I will be shure not to make that mistake ever again. From now on, I will know exactly what I am getting myself into. The Sabino Canyon Sunset Race was a difficult race for me. Since I started running again, which was the week after Halloween of 2010, I usually ran along the Grand and Arizona Canals. The only practice of any inclines are the underpass. So this Tucson race was nothing like that. NOTHING. The web site for this race has pretty pictures of people casually running along pretty trails and over scenic bridges with water flowing in creeks. Okay, stop right there. Yes, those bits were pretty and lovely but what I failed to pick up on was that this race was an incline for the first 3.7 miles. The elevation at the start of the race was at 2741 ft and 3340 ft at the halfway point. At Mile 2 I was hurting. I so wanted to quit and head back down but knew in my heart and legs that I couldn't do that. I just had to suck it up and make peace with this mountain. I am proud to share that my Official Time was 1:28:32. Far from I was expecting but this was all part of another lesson to learn. From now on, I will read between the lines and check the maps of race courses so I know exactly how I should train for that race. I've run long enough now that I need to impliment a plan for each race.

Overall, I'm thrilled to be running again. I'm actually doing what I've been ignoring for almost 14 years. I'm far from the fastest runner but I still cross the same Finish Line like the winners and elite runners. That alone gives me confidence to keep at it. So that's what I do, I keep at it. Thanks to good friends, friends I've met along the way through group runs, and online support from fellow runners on DailyMile.com and Facebook, I know that I can do this. So I keep running and running. I've kept the 57 pounds off. Yeah, I guess that makes me a runner, eh?

*****Cheers!*****

Current Music: Will Young's All Time Love

Current Mood: Content & Blessed!

Southern California Half Marathon

 

It's the beginning of 2011 and already I have completed a huge goal. I can now state that I have ran another half marathon. The first half marathon I ran was during the mid 90's. This past Saturday, January 8th, 2011, I completed the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Half Marathon. This one meant a great deal more to me. For one, I'm 14 years older. I do not run nearly as fast as I once could. When I started losing weight at the beginning of 2010, I never intended to run and participate in such running events. I ran to help burn off calories. It wasn't till after I lost 30 pounds that I realized I could probably train for a half marathon and actually be happy with the end results. After last Summer, I lost a total of 48 pounds and I felt lighter than ever. Weighing 178 pounds, I actually began to toy with the thought of entering a 10K. After a great deal of searching, I went ahead and paid my entry to the Southern California Half Marathon.

The past few years, I would pay my entry fee to the PF Chang's Rock 'n Roll Arizona Half Marathon here in Phoenix but never actually participate. I decided to end the curse and enter a Half Marathon in Southern California. Based on the dates, the best choice was the Southern California Half Marathon in Irvine, Ca. I loved that it took place on a Saturday. So I paid my dues in early Fall of last year and worked my ass off to be fit for this event. When I started running last year, I was at a steady 12 1/2 minute per mile pace. I knew I had my work cut out for me but I was ready to take on this challenge.

Long story short, I am happy to share that I completed the Southern California Half Marathon with an official time of 2:31:28.6. I so wanted to be under 2 hours and 30 minutes. I actually set a PR within the first mile, 5K, and 10K times during this event. I hit the wall during the last 3 miles. I gave it all had but once I turned the corner and I could see the finish line, I knew based upon my Nike Plus Sportsband that I wouldn't hit my mark. I wanted to cry with joy and a bit of sadness once I crossed the finish line. Thank God for the wonderful people and fans of the event that cheered for us to and gave us that extra push. I also thank Natalie Merchant for her song, 'Kind & Generous'. I needed a song that I loved to give me that last oomph of energy so I kept clicking on my Sony MP3 player until Natalie's song came on. I probably had it on repeat for three or four times. I felt the added energy to get through the last hump.

What did I learn from this experience? A few things. I felt good good going into this event until I actually picked up my Bib/Chip/ and gift bag. Once the items were in my possession, I felt the nerves hit. I doubted myself and couldn't rest the night before for fear that I wouldn't finish this race. I gained confidence and truly began to Believe once I reached the Mile 10 mark. That was about the time I hit the Wall - G'donk g'donk! Still, I pushed through and made it. I will always remember this experience. I look forward as I train for my next half marathon in March. I will believe each time I lace up my shoes prior to running. I will Keep the Faith. I will 'Just Do It'!

Finally, I want to thank my Partner for being a part of this wonderful experience. He kept me cool under pressure and assured me that I would do well. It's such a beautiful thing to have someone that loves you inside and out. Thank you, Rodan!

I hope to update more often about running and the Love/Hate relationship I have with this sport. Thank you for allowing me to share this with you.

*****CHEERS!*****