peace + love + cupcakes

Yesterday I participated in RaceEpic. I had written this submission but I don’t remember if I submitted it to the people in charge of the race. Why did I sign up for RaceEpic?

I remember being in Golden Gate Park after the Do Life race sitting around listening to people share their goals and stories. Some were talking about running marathons, participating in a triathlon or Ironman. I felt like one of those things that didn’t belong there. I had just walked my first 5K and was still trying to wrap my head around that (and probably trying to catch my breath). Lucky for me that one of the DoLifer’s introduced herself to me and told me more about what I now know to be an awesome community on Tumblr. I had really only read Ben’s blog but didn’t venture into Tumblr much. But now I can’t go a day without checking the site, supporting people and being held accountable.

I have always been overweight. Up until age 10, I was a chubby kid but I was active. I used to swim competitively and I was good at it. I also liked food. A lot. When I got into middle school, I stopped swimming. I basically stopped doing anything active. I just kept gaining weight and picking up bad habits. This was basically my life up until July 2011 when I finally got active again.

I have been inspired by so many people in this community. I am not yet a runner but I hope to be one day as I continue to lose weight. I’ve lost 79 pounds since September 2010, have become more active since July and have gained so much more confidence in myself.

What does RaceEpic mean to me? Typically, New Year’s I would be spending it thinking of what food I am going to eat and how much alcohol I would be drinking. But not this year. This race is going to kick off what I hope will be a great year for me. I don’t know what distance I will be walking but it will be at least a 5K. I have already signed up for my first official 10K in February, committed to participating in Bay to Breakers in May (12K) and have a couple of 5K’s in mind. Yes, right now I’m a walker but I hope that 2012 is the year in which I can call myself a runner. I know that 2012 will be the year where I reach goals I never even thought of setting for myself.

Today being the last day of the year I knew I had to get out there and be active. But I woke up in a funk. I started to miss my family in Mexico. I decided that I could wait until tomorrow to work out. I had breakfast & started watching television. I could literally see myself going back to my old habits of just hanging out on the couch. Finally in the late afternoon I realized what a schmuck I was being. I got dressed and headed to the gym. I proceeded to walk my fastest 5K of 2011.

What does RaceEpic mean to me? It means taking all the excuses in the world aside and doing right by me. It means making my health a priority. It means pushing myself when I feel like I can’t go on anymore. It means believing in myself. Every day I struggle with working out. Every damn day.

But I am doing it.