peace + love + cupcakes

I’ve seen a steady increase in followers so thank you for choosing to see me on your dash.  A couple things about me:

• My name is Marisol, I am 33 years old and have been trying be the healthier, better version of myself for the past 27 months 
• I have lost 113 pounds & the majority was on WW.  I now count calories while trying to eat clean
• I am training for my first half marathon - Rock n Roll SF on April 2013
• Typing out that I am training for a half still shocks me
• I’ve been overweight all my life and I struggle with portion control & binging. 
• I try to follow people who are on similar journeys. If your blog is mostly reblogs, I probably won’t follow. I like to connect with people and their stories. 
• This community has been life changing.  I’ve met so many great people and whenever I need some motivation, I just need to visit my dashboard and I always find just what I need to keep me going.  
• Besides trying to get healthier, I enjoy reading (I have an unhealthy relationship with my Kindle), music feeds my soul, beauty product junkie, my must see TV shows right now are Scandal & Sons of Anarchy and I used to be a wino but do you know how many calories are in a glass of wine? 

So now that I’ve told you about me, tell me about you.  This is not for new followers but for everyone.  

I wanted to participate in 12 races this year.   I figured that would be a good way to keep motivated with working out.  

1. Color Run 5k - Las Vegas
2. Davis Stampede 10K
3. Bay to Breakers 12K
4. See Jane Run 5K
5. Color Run 5K - San Francisco
6. San Francisco Progressive Marathon
7. Do Life 5K
8. The Giant Race 5K
9. The Dani Ryan Homles-Kirk 30th Birthday 5K (virtual)
10. Cloverdale Harvest 5K
11. Awesome 80’s 10K
12. Brazen New Year’s Eve 10K (on December 29, 2012)

I am rather impressed that I did these many races this year.  I can vividly remember how I felt at my first 5K (Do Life 2011) which is what introduced me to this awesome community and into racing. I was so intimidated & I almost didn’t go to the meet up. That would’ve been such a mistake & I wouldn’t have known it.  

Now I am freaking training for a half marathon.  Holy wow!  I have three races scheduled for 2013.

• Brazen New Year’s Day 5K in January
• Rock n Roll San Francisco Half Marathon in April
• See Jane Run 5K in June

Depending on my finances, I would like to be able to go back to Las Vegas for the Color Run in February.  If I can’t make it to Las Vegas, then I hope to do the Color Run in San Francisco in March.  I wasn’t too impressed with how they organized the Color Run in SF and I would rather go to Las Vegas for it.  I will probably be doing Bay To Breakers 2013 again as some friends have shown interest in it.  

What a difference a year makes. Last year, I was a ball of anxiousness going into this meetup. It was going to be my first 5k ever and I wasn’t confident that I could do it.  I went out of my comfort zone and it totally paid off.  Fast forward almost 1 year.  I was excited about going to the Do Life meetup and seeing Ben & Pa and meeting new people who were doing life.

I met up with Sarah and we walked over to our meeting spot.  Got a chance to talk to Ben and Pa and also got to meet Erica.  Sarah & I walked the 5k and this was her fastest 5k.  Yay Sarah!

Like a typical SF day, once the fog started to roll in things got very chilly.   We all walked over to Panera and got to spend some time getting to know new people.  You know you had a great day when you get to spend time with people that inspire you.  

While at the expo this weekend, I signed up for the Giant Race 5K in September. I originally wanted to sign up for the 10K but it was sold out. I was bummed and then I was amazed at myself that I was bummed that I couldn’t sign up for a 10K. What am I turning into? Whatever it is, I think I like it.

When I was filling out the form, it asked me to fill in a time for it and I put 45 minutes. Now my fastest 5K time (not counting the treadmill) has been 53:07 which was the Davis 5K in November. On the treadmill my fastest 5K time is 49:19. Why I chose 45 minutes is beyond me but the challenge has been set and I accept. If I can continue to lose weight and continue to work out, I am confident that I can reach that goal.

I also have other races coming up this summer which will keep me motivated to work out:

Do Life 5K in SF - July 10th

The Color Run in SF - July 14th

San Francisco Progressive Marathon - July 29th (my reward for reaching a 100 pound loss so I have yet to register).

July is going to be a busy month.

I’ve been wanting a tattoo for a really long time.  But since it’s something that is permanent, I wanted it to be something that meant a lot to me.   I went from wanting a Gemini symbol to a design of the sun & sea (for my name).  But there wasn’t anything that really got my attention.   I then decided that I wanted some sort of phrase on my left wrist.  I had a phrase that I saw in a book and liked it.  It said “a full life… no regrets”.  I like the meaning behind it but then I thought it would be too cluttered. 

At the end of July, I went to the 5k Do Life event in San Francisco.  That day was a a day of firsts for me as I mentioned in that postt.  I feel like that day I really started to “do life”.  I’ve struggled with my weight all my life and now I am working towards getting healthier.  I’ve been losing weight since September 2010 and have been successful at it so far.  I still have a lot more weight to lose.  Ever since the Do Life event, I’ve made getting healthy my priority.  I wanted something to remind me of how I felt during & after participating in the 5k.  Something to remind me that I am worth it and to keep on going.  

I found it.

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