SF 2007 Marathon
A lot has happened since the last time I have blogged. First off, I ran a half marathon, that's right a half marathon 13.1 miles of fun, and since I am able to tell you all about it, I accomplished my goal and that was to survive. I will talk more about the race later in this blog. So, aside from running I attended the 2007 APA (American Psychological Association) Convention in San Francisco, bought a new car, finished my first year of grad school and visited my family and friends in Ohio. As you can see I have been busy, busy, busy.
So..... lets me begin!
The month of August was action packed. I kicked off the month by purchasing a black 07 Kia Rio. I know, I know, you all are probably thinking, "Isn't that the same car he had in Ohio?", and to answer your question, "Yes." I don't know, I guess I am not the best when it comes to change, so I just figured I would choose a vehicle that was affordable and that was reliable based on my past experiences. My old car was a silver 02 Kia Rio by which I left in Ohio. I liked the car, especially considering the fact that it had a 100,000 mile warranty, which in my opinion is a valued incentive considering how common it is for cars to break down before hitting 100k.
Another appealing factor is that the car is great on gas. Since gas prices don't seem to be going down anytime soon, I wanted to find a fuel efficient vehicle, that didn't look like a box. For some odd reason car manufacturers seem to enjoy making fuel/environmental efficient cars that look very odd in comparison to most other models. My car looks, well.... like a typical car, with a little spoiler on the back, which was an added incentive to help with my cool kid style ;-).
Even though I was persistent on purchasing the silver car without the spoiler, my good friends Sujata and Juliana advised me that change was a good thing, so I decided to appeal to their advice. I can now honestly say that I am pleased with my choice and intend on driving the car up until graduation if not beyond.
The APA Convention was amazing and it gave me a chance to make numerous friends and contacts. I volunteered to help out with Division 44 which is the chapter of APA that specializes on GLBT issues (translation: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgendered). I found it inspiring to be around such an esteemed group of people that have all played influentual roles in providing equal opportunities/rights for GLBT people. My own professor was one of the people that wrote the psychological guidelines for treating GLB clients back in 2000 which I find aww inspiring.
Throughout all of the symposiums, social gatherings, and research poster sessions, I found time to hang out with my cool hotel roommates. I also met a guy named Dr. Phil (not the doctor Phil connected to Oprah) which gave a great presentation concerning sexual identity. Us along with some other students hit up the hot spots of the Castro and painted the town red. "GOODTIMES!"
Ok, let me get to the race now. As many of you know I spoke of fulfilling certain New Year's resolutions during the course of this year. I wanted to focus on my Mind, Body, & Soul. I have been doing great in the mind and soul department as I have been performing well in graduate school. I also take time out of my day to talk to those that may be getting down on life, and through inspirational stories and advice I try to bring them back up. Now that I am a quarter of a century years old (I am old, old, and old), I realize more and more everyday that life is short. We should all value our time on this planet and make the most of it. Happiness is a key to doing that, so through prayer, listening to my heart, and surrounding myself with positive people I am able to maintain my smile :-) (I know I smile way too much, but hey frowning takes too much effort).
Anyways, back to the race. So I woke up at 3:30a.m. so that I could be at the race site at 4a.m. in order to get registered. I was not able to pic up my registration on the previous day because I had a Saturday class, so this was my only option. After I picked up my registration, I returned to the hotel for a couple more hours of sleep, only to then head back to the site so that I could make it on time to get on the bus. There were several buses that drove thousands of runners to the edge of San Francisco near Golden Gate Park. After the ride it soon sank in that this was it, and I had no choice but to make it back on foot or by a medical golf cart and I didn't want to go out on a golf cart (it's bad for the ego ;-)
Shortly, after they dropped us off all of the race groups lined up. I was a part of the second group which was timed at finishing before 2hrs. 14minutes. Even though that sounds like a long time, it really isn't because you have to at least run a 10 minute mile. Now that is slow for the average runner, but keeping up that pace for over 2hrs really does take its toll on you. So as the race gun sounded off I found my way heading toward the pack that was near the front. I followed them for quite sometime until I had to take a short bathroom break (I blame that on the butterflies in my stomach). After my little break I returned head strong into the race.
Now something that I did not anticipate on was the steep hills of San Fran. I know, you would think I would have trained running up and down inclines, but I didn't. I guess I wanted to be surprised, and boy was I surprised. The first two hills weren't too bad, but the next dozen really did wear out my legs. Around mile 9 my body pretty much was done with the race, so I had to dig deep inside to make it to the end. Fortunately, there were several people lined up along the race cheering us all on with signs and banners of support. At every 3 mile mark there was music playing along with water, gatorade, bananas, and oranges to help us make it to the finish line. I never felt so supported in my life, and I know if it was not for all of the support, it would have been twice as hard for me to finish.
After I crossed the finish line (took me 2hrs and 14min., just made the break)I stood for a picture next to the trolley car with my medal on. In case you were wondering about my glazed over look, well honestly I had no idea where I was during that pic. I was in another state of consciousness and the state I was in was not San Francisco. Once I regained my wits, I loaded up on carbs and energy drinks then I returned to the hotel to catch up on some well deserved sleep.
Despite looking like life is kicking my ass in all of the pics, I really did enjoy the race. I was able to push myself to levels I have never been before and it all made the feeling of accomplishment so much more gratifying. I recommend everyone to participate in one race in their life, either a 5K, 10K, half marathon or a full marathon because it is a great experience that not only challenges your body, but it will force you to push your mind and soul as well.
Now it is time to enjoy my last day in Ohio. I have had a GREAT time since I have been back and I look forward to enjoying the rest of my time here. It was great to see all of my old professors at Wright State as well as my friends and family.
Until next time.....GODSPEED!
-Bob
So..... lets me begin!
The month of August was action packed. I kicked off the month by purchasing a black 07 Kia Rio. I know, I know, you all are probably thinking, "Isn't that the same car he had in Ohio?", and to answer your question, "Yes." I don't know, I guess I am not the best when it comes to change, so I just figured I would choose a vehicle that was affordable and that was reliable based on my past experiences. My old car was a silver 02 Kia Rio by which I left in Ohio. I liked the car, especially considering the fact that it had a 100,000 mile warranty, which in my opinion is a valued incentive considering how common it is for cars to break down before hitting 100k.
Another appealing factor is that the car is great on gas. Since gas prices don't seem to be going down anytime soon, I wanted to find a fuel efficient vehicle, that didn't look like a box. For some odd reason car manufacturers seem to enjoy making fuel/environmental efficient cars that look very odd in comparison to most other models. My car looks, well.... like a typical car, with a little spoiler on the back, which was an added incentive to help with my cool kid style ;-).
Even though I was persistent on purchasing the silver car without the spoiler, my good friends Sujata and Juliana advised me that change was a good thing, so I decided to appeal to their advice. I can now honestly say that I am pleased with my choice and intend on driving the car up until graduation if not beyond.
The APA Convention was amazing and it gave me a chance to make numerous friends and contacts. I volunteered to help out with Division 44 which is the chapter of APA that specializes on GLBT issues (translation: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgendered). I found it inspiring to be around such an esteemed group of people that have all played influentual roles in providing equal opportunities/rights for GLBT people. My own professor was one of the people that wrote the psychological guidelines for treating GLB clients back in 2000 which I find aww inspiring.
Throughout all of the symposiums, social gatherings, and research poster sessions, I found time to hang out with my cool hotel roommates. I also met a guy named Dr. Phil (not the doctor Phil connected to Oprah) which gave a great presentation concerning sexual identity. Us along with some other students hit up the hot spots of the Castro and painted the town red. "GOODTIMES!"
Ok, let me get to the race now. As many of you know I spoke of fulfilling certain New Year's resolutions during the course of this year. I wanted to focus on my Mind, Body, & Soul. I have been doing great in the mind and soul department as I have been performing well in graduate school. I also take time out of my day to talk to those that may be getting down on life, and through inspirational stories and advice I try to bring them back up. Now that I am a quarter of a century years old (I am old, old, and old), I realize more and more everyday that life is short. We should all value our time on this planet and make the most of it. Happiness is a key to doing that, so through prayer, listening to my heart, and surrounding myself with positive people I am able to maintain my smile :-) (I know I smile way too much, but hey frowning takes too much effort).
Anyways, back to the race. So I woke up at 3:30a.m. so that I could be at the race site at 4a.m. in order to get registered. I was not able to pic up my registration on the previous day because I had a Saturday class, so this was my only option. After I picked up my registration, I returned to the hotel for a couple more hours of sleep, only to then head back to the site so that I could make it on time to get on the bus. There were several buses that drove thousands of runners to the edge of San Francisco near Golden Gate Park. After the ride it soon sank in that this was it, and I had no choice but to make it back on foot or by a medical golf cart and I didn't want to go out on a golf cart (it's bad for the ego ;-)
Shortly, after they dropped us off all of the race groups lined up. I was a part of the second group which was timed at finishing before 2hrs. 14minutes. Even though that sounds like a long time, it really isn't because you have to at least run a 10 minute mile. Now that is slow for the average runner, but keeping up that pace for over 2hrs really does take its toll on you. So as the race gun sounded off I found my way heading toward the pack that was near the front. I followed them for quite sometime until I had to take a short bathroom break (I blame that on the butterflies in my stomach). After my little break I returned head strong into the race.
Now something that I did not anticipate on was the steep hills of San Fran. I know, you would think I would have trained running up and down inclines, but I didn't. I guess I wanted to be surprised, and boy was I surprised. The first two hills weren't too bad, but the next dozen really did wear out my legs. Around mile 9 my body pretty much was done with the race, so I had to dig deep inside to make it to the end. Fortunately, there were several people lined up along the race cheering us all on with signs and banners of support. At every 3 mile mark there was music playing along with water, gatorade, bananas, and oranges to help us make it to the finish line. I never felt so supported in my life, and I know if it was not for all of the support, it would have been twice as hard for me to finish.
After I crossed the finish line (took me 2hrs and 14min., just made the break)I stood for a picture next to the trolley car with my medal on. In case you were wondering about my glazed over look, well honestly I had no idea where I was during that pic. I was in another state of consciousness and the state I was in was not San Francisco. Once I regained my wits, I loaded up on carbs and energy drinks then I returned to the hotel to catch up on some well deserved sleep.
Despite looking like life is kicking my ass in all of the pics, I really did enjoy the race. I was able to push myself to levels I have never been before and it all made the feeling of accomplishment so much more gratifying. I recommend everyone to participate in one race in their life, either a 5K, 10K, half marathon or a full marathon because it is a great experience that not only challenges your body, but it will force you to push your mind and soul as well.
Now it is time to enjoy my last day in Ohio. I have had a GREAT time since I have been back and I look forward to enjoying the rest of my time here. It was great to see all of my old professors at Wright State as well as my friends and family.
Until next time.....GODSPEED!
-Bob
posted by Bob | 3:55 PM
1 Comments:
Hey Bob!
Nice blog. You should write or post more entries. I enjoy reading your entries.
Have fun!
Curtis
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