RECAP 2018

Recap of 2018

This has been another year of adventures, stories, challenges, emotions, fun, and more miles added to my shoes as well as flying miles.

The running season 2018 started off in Jan 18 in Arizona, state #33 and ended In Oklahoma (state #40) with my Dad. In between there were 8 states and Washington D.C. to check off.

States

Arizona- Colorado- New Mexico- D.C.- Montana- California- Missouri- Iowa- Oklahoma

I am beyond blessed and appreciative for all those folks who accompanied me on this journey.

Some highlights:

1.       Seeing and experience for the first time Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks. I now crave these parks. Yosemite felt spiritual and Yellowstone was just the awe, power, beauty, and science of nature

2.       Running, touching, and being in four states at once with Four Corners

3.       Walking on historic Route 66- in New Mexico and Oklahoma

4.       Visiting the Olympic Training Center. Finding out the only credit card they take is Visa(sponsors) and we were there before the Winter Olympics 2018

5.       Ladies Wine trip in California. Lots of wine tasting and visiting the only African- American owned winery in Napa (Brown Estates). Having a couple of my friends run the half marathon with me too. I had to create a team because this race ( Napa to Soma sold out). Plus this was the most expensive half to register to date

6.       Boston BGR girlgang ran together in DC for the inaugural Women’s Half Marathon. This was the first time running in a race beyond Boston with #girlgang. Since it was my birthday weekend and birthday, the ladies gave me a surprise party and they ran with me the next day on my birthday

7.       Museums- African- American History Museum in DC, Greenwood Cultural Center (learn about Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Riots), Oklahoma national memorial , Negro League Baseball Museum,  Montana Historic Society

8.       Learned and visited various native America Nations.  Such as Navajo, Blackfeet, Osage Tribe, Standing Bear Museum and Education Center

9.       Great to see other parts of the Missouri River and the historic Rio Grande River

10.   Ran my second Back to Back Race: I-35 Challenge Missouri and Iowa

11.   Ran in my second Black Girls Run Sponsored Race and ran the 5k race the day before the half marathon.

12.   First time running in hard core, non- stop snow and elevation for 11 miles. Visibility and high knees were the only options

13.   I ran in nature, my (NOT) favorite. The most challenging race of the year. I was afraid I might bust a knee or fall. There were rocks, mud, branches, trees, dirt, all the nature things

14.   First race that offered bug spray and bear spray. We were warned about the bears. At one of the mile markers there was a team of people to spray the runners down with deet because of the high levels of mosquitos  

15.   I stopped in Cali to have a wine shot, while running

16.    Learned that New Mexico has wine and they were the first state to produce wine.

 Looking forward to 2019 and hitting another big milestone with State #45 in sight!