Paying it Forward

I am proud to share that last year, my mom - a breast cancer survivor- and I participated in and completed the 39.3 mile Avon Walk for Breast Cancer here in DC. It is officially our 1 year anniversary which I was reminded of yesterday as I spotted the route markers around my neighborhood.  When I saw them I instantly knew that I wanted to pay it forward. You see, you don't do this walk with your iPod or other ways to distract you. And the supporters who lined various parts of our walk last year were some of the best, most uplifting surprises we found along the way.

So, last night I made this poster and pulled out my pink "Finishers" t-shirt and set the alarm to wake up and cheer on walkers as they neared the 9 mile mark.

I was inspired by the people who are walking today: young, old, fit, less fit, men, women, moms, daughters, grandmothers, and many more. The money the participants raised will go towards supporting breast cancer awareness and treatment in the DC area.  What struck me most was that as I was cheering on these folks who have already walked 9 miles this morning, they were thanking me for cheering and supporting them. I in fact wanted to show them support and that I cared, and here they were thanking me. It was a very touching moment for me.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - If you see large groups of people walking around the DC-area today, cheer them on. It will bring a smile on their face and inspire them to finish Day 1 of this experience!!

After cheering, I came up and am eating an egg white with a bit of 2% provolone and an apple with PB and cinnamon.

Now, I'm off to explore some Embassies!

Easing into the Week

The highlight of my afternoon was brunch with a sorority friend who I haven't seen in a long time. She's had a pretty eventful few months and it was great to hear all of her jet-setting stories in person :-)

The evening was spent doing a bit of stretching and weights in the apartment and reorganizing, cleaning out, and finally unpacking 1 of 3 remaining boxes (from my move in June...). Slowly but surely my apartment will look like a grown up lives here.

I had a light dinner of salad and a homemade Chipotle bowl while watching the Grammys. I used my remaining adzuki beaks, some brown rice, broccoli, spinach, and bell peppers.  Topped with salsa and a sprinkle of 2% Mexican cheese.

Dessert ended up being 2 cup of cereal and an apple. Once I opened the cereal box, I just couldn't stop!

I'm starting my week off with some PBJ hot cereal.  In the mix:

• 1/4c BRM hot cereal
• 1/4c smashed sweet potato
• 1/4c frozen blueberries
• cinnamon, splash of vanilla, a few raisins
• 1/2T PB and a drop of fig jam

Hope your day goes smoothly!

Don't stop believing!

Thanksgiving is less than 8 weeks away which means a few things: cooler weather, a trip home, our amazing Thanksgiving meal, AND... the Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot!

During college, the Turkey Trot became a Thanksgiving Day tradition and one that I always look forward to. That first year, it was just my family and close friend who ran (or walked) in the 3 mile fun run. Since then, my grandfather and a couple of family friends have joined the fun.



Since I completed the 39.3 Avon 2-Day walk with my mom in May, I started thinking that this year's 5K wouldn't be challenging enough. So, I began considering the Turkey Trot's longer event, the 8 mile run. Somehow, I convinced my parents to join me and it look's like we will be completing 8 miles on Thanksgiving morning!

Those who know me know that I am not much of a runner. I can do sprints (thanks to years of playing tennis) and I can walk for days (which I've also done) but the idea of running for an hour or two at a time really does not sound appealing. However, I know that on Thanksgiving morning, it will be hard not to attempt to run at least some of those 8 miles with tons of runners surrounding me. So, I developed a training schedule that should help me be able to run at least half of the distance, although it will probably be broken up by short periods of walking.

Yesterday's training goal was 6 miles, which I decided to walk after running the majority of a 1.7 mile distance to an abs class yesterday morning. I metro-ed out to Bethesda for the annual Taste of Bethesda festival and decided to walk home (6.8 miles to be exact).
Still full from my lunch a bit earlier, I got on my way shortly after I arrived in the Maryland suburb. About 1.5 miles in, I realized that I was walking much of the path that my mom and I completed on our 2nd day (13.1 miles) of the Avon walk. This may not seem like a grand epiphany, but on that Sunday morning, it was cold, raining, and I was soaked head-to-toe due to a malfunctioning poncho and rain jacket. Yesterday however, the sun was shining, it was quite a comfortable afternoon, and I saw that 4 mile stretch of Wisconsin Avenue in a completely different light.

As I walked, I continued to thinking about how we didn't let the thunderstorms stop my mom and me from completing our 13.1 miles that day and taking a stand against breast cancer. I was reminded of what I am capable of and that despite less-than-perfect conditions, we were able to accomplish something great. I was inspired by that reminder as I continue to seek out employment opportunities and contemplate, once again, a potential return home for a while. The job market maybe look dismal and unemployment may be rising across the country (and up to 11.1% here in Washington, DC) yet I know that I could be a lot worse off right now. I was newly inspired by my walk yesterday to keep fighting because I know that if I do, I will be able to accomplish my goals!