Hebrews 12:1

"...let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

I live my life on faith in Jesus Christ, and through that, I have come to find a new joy in running. Since April of 2008, I began a journey of entering races with friends!

RACE#1: TEAM BLACKOUT (Britney Style!)
The first race in April, was an Adventure Race, a modified sprinter triathlon in which the swimming was replaced by tandem kayaking, road-biking with mountain-biking, and running with trail running. This race took place up at Lake Castaic, just North of Magic Mountain in Valencia, Ca on the hottest day in April, setting a record high at 101! Natalie and I enrolled in our first ever recorded race, and the excitement and nerves got us wound up into a sea of wonderment as to what we would be expecting! Little did we know, we were about to win our division... The race started off with the tandem kayak leg, proving to be the easiest of all three legs, by far! With our life jackets on and our inflatable kayak prepped, we charged around the tree and off to the lake for a good 25 minute debacle of flailing oars to reach the buoey marker.
Once solving the ultimate pvc pipe mystery, we advanced onto leg two, the uphill jaunt with our mountain bikes and only one water bottle between the both of us while the heat intensified and the shade deemed more on the side of non-existent. Up, up, up, up....8 miles total through thick, machete groomed weeds, dirt, and hills. After passing numerous men, our spirits were lifted as we seemed to be bionic women, defeating all the supermen. It wasn't until the downhill dive, that my partner in crime soon realized the importance of deciphering the front break from the back break, resulting in the ever-fearful over-the-handle-bars tumble. Thank God for helmets, and tough skulls. We completed the leg, and were off to the last of the triple threat, the run.
An uphill climb to the last flag, through barbed-wire, creeks, and more thick brush. Pushing each other to keep up the pace and finish strong, we finally could see the finish line! 2 hours and 30 minutes! Our first race ever. We finished as a team. We were satisfied. http://www.7thwave.com/photo/castaiclake2008/index3.html

RACE #2: CORONADO BAY BRIDGE RUN
This race proved to be much easier than the latter. A four-mile jaunt across the Coronado bridge with 8,000 others to help support the Navy. Finishing 52nd in my division at a 9:25/mile pace, I figure it wasn't bad for a beginner! http://www.y-events.com/08bridgef.htm.
The scenery as we passed over the bridge was breath-taking, and the weather was typically San Diego-perfect. There were four of us this time as Barbara and Amy joined in for the fun. The rest of the day followed suit and went down in history as "Sunday Funday." Flag football, hospital-worthy injuries and pool-side cocktails all aided in the creation of a memory that is now set in stone.

RACE#3: DEL MAR "AFLAC" IRON GIRL 10K
Following suit as the pre-summer tri-fecta could none other than be more appropriate then to be held at the Del Mar Racetracks (or fair grounds, depending on the time of year). Without any pre-training mumbo-jumbo and a 7:30am start, 6.2 miles was the goal for the day. It seemed yet again that mother nature took over and landed another record-breaking heat wave the day of the race. There were four of us again, Barbara the most nervous of the bunch as the long-distance running is not high on her list. Goal time: 1 hour. Finish time: 1 hour 2 min. Not bad for a beginner. Can I say that still? This race definitely put a notch on the belt and a dent in the road... What next?