All Kinds of Crazy!: Yes we can!

1:54:30
Official finish time for the Half Marathon.

Personal Goal: To finish between 2:00:00: to 2:15:00

Mission accomplished...plus I did better than I had expected.

Post-marathon thoughts:

Running the half-marathon was a life-changing experience in many ways. But this life changing experience did not occur over one day... It was the actual training/process of preparation for the run that changed my life...

#1. I learned to eat and drink in moderation. The saying is true, "You are what you eat." Ever since I began to watch what I ate for the run, I felt so much healthier and lighter. I also noticed that my runs felt like I was simply gliding/flying through the city. Sounds all kinds of crazy, but that's the best way I can best describe it. In addition, the burn felt even better when I ran. I didn't feel sluggish. It definitely had to do with the fresh foods I was cooking.

Here's a few things I switched up on my eating habits:
A. I cooked more than ate out. By cooking, I had more control of what I ate because I was in control of deciding what to put in my dishes (more fresh veggies and lean meat)
B. FRESH VEGETABLE dishes. I realized I frequently bought fresh spinach, tomatoes, red onions, and green beans
C. Cut down on meat (especially red meat---I pretty much cut it out completely); I began to buy extra lean turkey as a substitute
D. Cut out sweets (well, almost completely); I substituted FRESH FRUITS (oranges and apples)---Vitamin C--gotta watch my health too!
E. Ate a lot of whole grains/whole wheat---bread, oatmeal, brown rice, pasta, etc.
F. Took multi-vitamins
G. Drank TEA: White-ginger & pomegranate Green Tea every morning and evening (Republic of Tea Brand from World Market)

I must say... after a month and a half, I felt renewed...I felt better...and had a bit more energy. I noticed that once the crazy meat and sugar was cut, I no longer felt like I was dragging my body when I ran.

#2: Mind over Matter

I truly believe anyone can run. Just like it is for everything in life, running is like 95% mental; 5% physical. I just kept telling myself that it will get easier.... and the more I trained...the more I made it part of my weekly habit, the easier it got. Next thing I knew, I was improving on my form and time.

I also found my form of meditation--running distance. I never understood the concept of meditation (free of thoughts) until I finally experienced it in my run.. Especially when i began to focus on the rhythm of my footsteps...I reached that point of meditation... It was cathartic...which was especially helpful during the stressful two months of teaching.

#3: Continue Healthy living
After the run, I felt a great sense of accomplishment. Like I could conquer the world or something (not in an imperialist kinda way).... Initially I wanted to binge eat (Oinksters, Big Tomy's, cookies, etc. etc.), but I felt the benefits of eating well...and it was a hard task to change the old eating habits. I did NOT want to just throw it all away. It's so easy to get back to the habit of eating nesty! Instead, I want to eat in moderation.

Overall, this experience was a challenge of the self.... A self-refinement---of mind, body, soul (cheesy, but true).
It goes beyond the run...

Few pics. before the run and after the run: