With My Own Two Feet: August, September

AUGUST
Summer Showdown Run (Santa Monica, CA) - 6.2 miles

After two half marathons in two months and during one of the busiest months of the year for someone who works in Higher Education, it was time to check out the Rocket Racing Productions schedule.  But knowing that there was another big race coming up in just a month, this time I registered for the 10k.  Having done two of these runs already, I was familiar with the course.  The 10k option just meant doing two laps up and down the strand, rather than one.  And in month eight of my challenge, it was feeling much more commonplace to get up early on a weekend to run.  For fun.  And maybe because breakfast always tastes so much better having clocked some miles beforehand.

SEPTEMBER
Ragnar Napa Valley (San Francisco, CA - Calistoga, CA) - 2.7 miles, 6.7 miles, 3.3 miles

Something that I've learned over and over again from my year of running is how supportive the running community is.  Each race I've done, there is always someone who passes me, smiles and gives some type of encouragement along the way.  And unlike the younger version of myself, I welcome this encouragement.  A younger me probably would've felt inept because I was moving slowly and being passed by, or I would've wondered if the words of encouragement were coming from a place of pity.  But those were old thoughts coming from a place of insecurity.  Each passerby is just another runner who is on the same journey and knows just how incredible the accomplishment is.  And their words of encouragement come from a genuine place of knowing exactly how far support can take you.

Ragnar may be one of the best examples of this type of runner support.  The encouragement, support and laughter that you collect along each leg is truly inspiring.  And encouragement is contagious.  Before you know it, you find yourself offering the same support to others along the way.  My support of others during Ragnar Napa started before we even jumped into our vans in San Francisco.  As we were pulling together runners to create our next Ragnar team, I was excited to be joined again by my brother, my cousin Steffie and some of my closest friends.  But there was one newbie I had my sights on, and I was determined to get her to say yes: my cousin Jessica.

Jessica is only a year and a half younger than I am, and throughout the years, she has been both my dearest friend and my biggest enemy.  Like many family members, especially those who are close in age, we had our moments as children when it was inevitable for our time together to result in at least one fight.  But as we got older, those fights diminished, and all that was left was the love we have for each other.  And much like me, Jessica has had her own battle with low self esteem.  She has never fully believed how amazing she is.  But fortunately for her, I've never doubted it.  Knowing that she had recently started running, I started my campaign for her to join the team via text message, hoping she may be easy to sway.  But when she immediately resisted telling me she wasn't yet good enough to do a Ragnar, I picked up the phone.  She had to hear my voice to know how serious I was.  And all of the encouragement that came pouring out of my mouth were the same words that were used to convince me that I could do it.  And so, whether because she believed me or because she was tired of listening to me, she caved in and joined the team.  And as our van took off from the start line and inched closer to her first leg, she became increasingly nervous.  And when Anthony passed the slap bracelet on to her, we all watched as she dashed away.  Somewhere between those two exchanges, as she was running solo through the bay area, she fell in love.  She was hooked.  She was a Ragnarian.  I couldn't help but smile; not just because I was happy that she finally knew that she could do it, but also because I helped her get there.  And giving that gift to someone else is priceless.

Ragnar is definitely about the team.  With every pass of the slap bracelet, your love and affection for each other grows (even when patience thins and exhaustion sets in).  This time around, I was runner three, immediately following my brother.  And there are no words for how much it meant to me to be given a sweaty hug and kiss on the cheek by Philip each time I started my legs.  Talk about priceless.  And at the end of the race, our team found ourselves in the middle of Napa Valley.  What better way than to celebrate our accomplishment with a picnic at a vineyard.  And when you're surrounded by beautiful scenery and people you love, it's hard to feel anything other than complete.

With My Own Two Feet: June, July

JUNE
Rock 'n' Roll San Diego (San Diego, CA) - 13.1 miles

Like many race series, the Rock 'n' Roll series offers bonus medals - they call them Heavy Medals - if you do more than one race in a calendar year.  So when searching for a June race, I was drawn to the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego because not only would it mean another half, it would also mean earning the Rock Encore medal.  This race was also significant because in addition to AJ, Anthony and Schultzy, we ran it with Allison's dad and step-dad.  There were so many things I avoided doing earlier in life because I was afraid that the other people doing it would judge me for my lack of ability.  So even though I knew I'd be the slowest runner and everyone would be waiting for me at the finish line, I wasn't afraid to line up at that start line, knowing that I would cross the finish line in my own time with my head held high.

JULY
Costume Party Run (San Diego, CA) - 13.1 miles

By July, I was halfway done with my year of running.  Even though I was only 50% of the way through, it already felt like a big accomplishment because I was already registered for most of my remaining races, which meant completing my year goal seemed actually doable.  But the July race held way more significance than just starting off the second half of the year.

The previous July, I had only just started regularly running, so when my annual week with Kayla came around, I was excited that she and Amanda agreed to running a 5k with me.  As a kid, we did a lot of great things as a family, but exercising wasn't one of them.  So to be running 3.1 miles with my niece - my godchild - was more than I ever expected in my life.  The Costume Party Run boasts that its finishers are awarded with the largest medal around: a six-inch diameter disco ball.  But at the end, I was awarded with so much more.

As we lined up at the start line, we had a plan.  AJ was going to stick with Amanda; Philip was going to stick with Kayla; and Anthony and I were going to stick with Jenna.  We'd start together, but as our paces created natural gaps in the group, we wanted to make sure that the girls were never alone.  I was so proud of my Mander; she had been training regularly and was excited to take on her first half marathon.  I knew she was going to lead the pack and outpace me with ease.  I was excited to get to run the race with Jenna.  I knew she was the most nervous about the race, but regardless of how many alternate plans I came up with for things for us to do while the rest of the group ran the race, she was determined to do it.  I love my niece, so getting to know her friends means a lot to me.  No better way to make a lasting memory than to spend three hours running together.  We laughed; we complained; we ran; we walked.  But most importantly, we finished.  Again, I was so proud of Miss Jenna.

But it was the duo in the middle of our pack - my little brother and my niece - that carried me through this race.  The love I have for my brother and niece is overwhelming.  I have spent my whole life being a protective big sister and the past 16 years being a protective aunt.  Even during times when I struggled with my lowest bouts of self esteem, I knew I was good at being a sister and an aunt.  And to watch these two people who I love so much - a father/daughter team who had been through so much together - add another 13.1 miles to their journey in life side-by-side, I was overcome.  I was so proud and so happy and so envious and so full of love.  How many teenage girls get to run her first half marathon with her close friends and family, and especially, paced with her father?  And the truth is, I was even really proud of myself because here I was promoting health and wellness with my niece and her friends.  At their age, I never hoped I would be an adult who would do such a thing for the next generation.  At their age, I never hoped I would be proud of myself.  All of these emotions, pride, happiness, excitement and, most of all love, carried me through the streets of San Diego and across that finish where I was greeted with sweaty hugs and pink, flushed faces of people I love so dearly.  And that is a prize that no medal, no matter how big, can ever beat.

With My Own Two Feet: February

FEBRUARY
Live Ultimate (Santa Monica, CA) - 6.2 miles
Ragnar Del Sol (Wittenburg, AZ - Tempe, AZ) - 4.6 miles, 5.7 miles, 5.5 miles

With the first month of my running challenge complete, I entered February with excited anticipation.  February meant that in addition to checking off the second month of my goal, it was time to tackle what seemed like the craziest of my runs: a Ragnar Relay.  But before Ragnar began, I had another finish line to cross.

In an effort to train for Ragnar, I registered for the Live Ultimate Run in Santa Monica.  We gathered at the start line by the ocean and when the buzzer sounded, we were off.  The course was fairly similar to the Christmas Run we had done in December, so with every bend in the road and slope of the course, I had an idea of what to expect.  This gave my mind time to wander.  I kept wondering where the name Live Ultimate came from, thinking that the first word was līv as in "this taping is live."  What I now know is that the word is actually lĭv, as in the opposite of die.  The idea behind the race series is to promote living your best life being passionate about health, balance and well-being.  As I crossed the finish line, I was doing just that.

Usually as the end of February nears, I am busy wondering how I will spend my birthday and what turning a year older will mean.  This year, I had an even bigger task to ponder: participating in my first Ragnar Relay.  I had first heard of Ragnar the previous fall when AJ and Anthony completed the Ragnar Napa Valley.  When they returned, they immediately said, "We have to do this!"  Anthony had already discovered that the Del Sol race was over our birthday weekend and both were convinced this is how we should celebrate.  I wasn't so sure.  Single races were one thing.  Creating a team of 12, sleeping in vans and running three legs over the course of 34 hours seemed like an insurmountable task.  At that time, I hadn't even run my first half marathon; how did we know I'd be able to do a Ragnar?  But fueled by a new confidence and knowing that I had the support of amazing friends (and truthfully excited for something to plan!), I agreed.

Creating a team.  Reserving vans.  Understanding the rules.  There was so much to do.  But if I was going on a crazy running adventure, the first thing I was sure of is that I wanted my brother by my side.  Fortunately, he's never one to turn down a good time (and maybe more fortunately, this actually sounded like a good time to him), he was easy to convince.  Quickly, the team fell in place, and I had fun creating a blog to keep us informed each step of the way.

It's hard to fully explain how much fun it is to do a Ragnar because every detail you share just makes it sound more and more crazy.  Sleeping in a van.  Running three times in 34 hours, including in the middle of the night.  Not showering.  Sharing a sweaty slap bracelet.  And you have to pay to do it?!?!  What could be more appealing?  And as I took off on my first leg, I still wasn't sure what I had gotten myself into.  Unlike other races, this isn't just about me.  If I needed to walk, it meant holding up our next runner.  If I was grumpy or tired, there was no where to hide but the next row of the van.  This was a true blend of individual and team effort.  But as I was chugging along that first leg, and I turned the corner to see my van and teammates cheering me on, my heart swelled with love.  It gave me energy.  And when I got to the exchange where I got to pass the slap bracelet on to Elyse - Elyse, with whom I had come so far - from supervisor/supervisee to friends to family; from Massachusetts to California; from two girls from Jersey unsure of their worth in the world to two women in California learning just how great we are.  As I slapped the bracelet on her wrist (and slapped her ass for good measure), off she went!  And the first person standing there to congratulate me was my brother.  The kid who spent his childhood teasing and tormenting me.  The kid who I often told that the reason mom and dad didn't have a third kid was because they had perfection, tried again and got him.  The kid who became the guy of whom I was most protective.  The guy who became the man who is one of my greatest friends.  There he was to give me a big hug and kiss.  I never felt so full of pride.

Hours later, the entire team stood at the finish line waiting for our 12th and final runner: Steffie.  As she turned the corner to come over the bridge, less than half a mile from where we were waiting for her, I broke into a smile thinking about how lucky I was to be running not only with my brother, but with one of my cousins.  Steffie and I are far enough apart in age that growing up, we didn't spend a lot of time with each other.  I was working at UMass full-time before she and I even had our first Briana/Steffie-only memory.  I had driven up to Vermont to join the family for a weekend, and finding ourselves stuck at the top of a mountain with over an hour wait to take the tram back down, somehow Steffie convinced me to hike down with her.  I was in flip flops; she was in fashion sneakers.  Neither of us were truly prepared for the adventure.  In a true Steffie stroke of genius, she decided our best effort was to each wear one sneaker so that we had proper traction on the way down.  And each time one of us slipped or slid down part of the mountain, we laughed that we ever thought those shoes had any traction whatsoever.  And when we made it to the bottom, I remember thinking that this was the first time I had ever spent any alone time with her.  And now here we were, ten years later, both living in California and having already piled up many memories that were just ours.  And we were more than cousins, we were friends.  The team formed a tunnel for her to run through before we followed her over the finish line, and again I was overwhelmed by the love.  How lucky was I to be able to share this memory with so many people I loved?  We spent that night celebrating with food, drinks, laughter and games.  We shared all of the new memories we had made along the way: the kills, the spills, the songs, the legs, the sounds that haunted our night runs, the moments we thought we might not finish.  We were already planning when we could Ragnar again.

 

The Greatest Gift

So, today when I called my brother to wish him a happy birthday, I asked him what he wanted as a gift. He told me about the video games he had received, and that Kayla and Lindsay had gotten him a bunch of snowboarding gear. Now, I was with my brother when he learned to ski. He was a bit of a natural because he had no fear. Of course, he was in fourth grade and was a lot more limber. And, I don't recall him being skiing since then or snowboarding ever. So, I was a little surprised. I asked him since when he snowboarded, and he told me he was going to start. After hearing all of the things he had already received, I asked again what I could get him. He said the only thing he needed now was under armor for his snowboarding gear. Under armor? Seriously? So, for my brother's 29th birthday, I am going to buy him underwear. Awesome.

Golden Boy

Happy Birthday to my Phippy!! Today, he is 29 on the 29th...his golden birthday. I'm sad I am not in Jersey to celebrate with him, but I am sending him all of my love. So, to my Phippy...celebrate well! I love you!

Thankful for Thanksgiving

So, I know I said that I wasn't going to talk about how I was grateful for my family, but the truth is, I lied. There is no way I could ever discuss the things I was thankful for without mentioning them. And I can think of no better day to honor them than on Thanksgiving. So today, I am thankful for Thanksgiving and my family.

• My parents have given me everything. My mom gave me her kindness, her ability to love with her whole heart and her sense of responsibility. My dad gave me his passion for knowledge, his fierce loyalty and his intrigue with the creative side of life. Together, they gave me life and they gave me a life. There are no words for how much I love them.
• My grandmother has given me so much. She taught me the importance of loving and laughing. She introduced me to the world of travel and taught me that I could more than dream of far off places. She role modeled for me the importance of being a strong, independent woman. My grandmother is more than a grandmother; she is a friend.
• My brother, in many ways, is my other half. There is so much that we share: our mother's nose, our father's eyes, our mother's heart, our father's creativity, our passion for education. And yet, there is so much in which we differ: where our loyalties lie, with what we struggle, how we live our daily lives. And though we don't talk as frequently as I would like, there is never a day that he isn't in my heart and mind. He is my other half, and I don't work without him.
• My niece is the love of my life. I didn't know the heart was capable of loving someone so much until she was born. She brings joy to my life even when she is driving me crazy. I make decisions in life with her in mind because I want to create a great world for her to live in. Loving her has made me realize that I absolutely want to have children. She is my heart.
• My sister-in-law is an amazing woman. I knew very early on in her relationship with my brother that she was family. I love her because she is an old soul, like me. I love her because she puts family first and includes my family in that. I love her because she loves my niece and actively works to be a good role model for her. And I love her because she loves my brother. She is the best sister I could have ever asked for.

I have many other family members who I love with all of my heart, but to mention all of them would take up a year's worth of blogs. But, they are all extremely important to me. I also am very fortunate to have friends in my life who are more like family because I love them that much. To Shannon, Rosanna, Jenny, Phil, Yas, Karen, Elyse, Marci, AJ and the other great friends in my life: Thank you for being the family that I choose. And thank you for choosing to love me in return.

With such amazing people in my life, I can be nothing but grateful on a day like today.