Day 14: Trash

Ba-SUUURR-a! That's one line that sticks with me to this very day. If you don't know where it's from, go pick up a copy of La Bamba and find out. It's a good movie as well so watch the whole thing.

Anyway, today's prompt is exactly that, basura, or for you 'Murrcan speaking folk, trash. On my run I was extra observant of the ground, noticed that the track was actually splitting on some cracks where it had been previously paved over, grass was growing from those cracks, the grass away from the path needs to be watered, some dog poop from the stray dogs that run around, the way the ducks waddle around trying to find the best shady spot under the tress, but surprisingly, not much trash. Yes there was a wrapper or a straw here & there, but nothing more than that and those were even few and far between. So then I started to wonder, where IS all the trash?! Thankfully, I noticed that and every 1/10 mile marker, there was not only a trash bin, but a recycle bin as well.  Oh seeing this made me ecstatic!!! Not just the fact that they are provided for everyone to use, but that they are actually being utilized and the park is a better place because of it.

Anyway, it is late and I have to be at work at 8am, so here is tonight's prompt, day14, trash.

Day 13: Fast

"Work It Harder,
Make It Better,
Do It Faster,
Makes Us Stronger.
More Than Ever Hour After
Our Work Is Never Over"

-Daft Punk "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"

That was today's theme song while running. During the day. While the sun is out. Which I hate doing. But hey at least I'm back on track! :D

Since my iheart radio has been missing the mark lately, it was time to bring my ipod back out and this was the first song that came to mind. I'm so glad I have it, helped me run in the sun like I actually like doing it. Can't wait til I open at work so I can go back to running I'm the evening. I miss it. Anyway, tonight I present Day 13: Fast.

Needless to say, this song has been playing over & over I'm my head all day as well as the morning. Love Daft Punk. Thank you guys, for this motivational symphony. :)

Playing Catch Up: Days 9-12

Sooo, I've slipped. Shenanigans came up at work causing me to stay later and I just didn't get to go running at all this weekend. I woke up and got back into it today tho so hopefully this will be the only time I slip this month!

I missed out on days 9, 10, and 11 but I do have pictures for those days so all hope isn't completely lost. And of course I have a photo for today as well. :D

Anyway Day 9: 2 o'clock, is nothing more than proof of what I was doing at 2pm, clocking back in from lunch at work. Day 10: beverage is orange juice in my favorite color changing cup from Southtown 101, one of my favorite bars. Finally, Day 11: I love doing this. I love leaving work in the evening and watching rhe sun setting and the colors it creates throughout the sky. Texas sunsets are incredibly beautiful.

So here are days 9-11.

Today's prompt is macro. I love macro. It allows me to see the small details in the world I live in and is another fantastic reason to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. So today after my run, I went and sat under my favorite tree at Woodlawn and started noticing the tree bark. I loved the way the ridges ran along the tree and decided this detail would be perfect for my macro day. So here it is, back on the bandwagon, Day 12: Macro.

Day 8: Peek-A-Boo

So this was going to be a ranting post along with a picture of what I thought of today, which wasn't a very age  appropriate thing to post but because of one small thing, my entire mentality of tonight's post was changed.

Okay so my run sucked tonight. There were entirely too many people there.I know it's a park and anyone can go but still, there were WAY too many people. Usually there's a bunch of people but they're so spread out around the park and it still makes for an enjoyable and relaxing run. Not tonight, no.

Tonight, there were putas (for lack of a better word, and if you don't know what that means, look out up) walking the track in their tiny, tight shorts and tight shirts, guys with "swag" holding their croches cuz they don't have enough ass to hold up their shorts which are halfway down said non-existent ass and wearing Chicago Bulls oversized hats. I doubt they even know what city the Bulls are based in. And then there were the couples. At least 10 different groups with 2-3 couples who don't walk behind each other, no, they all walk NEXT to each other, taking up the entire pathway and giving other people who run between them dirty looks & flipping them off behind their backs. I couldn't run 10 feet without almost running into someone!!! Way too many people at one small park, not cool and definitely not fun.

Another reason tonight sucked, my IHeart Radio app was completely off target tonight and not playing anything I could run too. I spent too much time skipping songs and avoiding people collisions.

Anyway, that's my rant for the evening. I came home, took a shower and thought about how I was going to go off on a rant and even had a "peek-a-boo" photo of a lovely bird in my room (aka me flipping off the camera.) Then I went to close the door to my room when I saw it, peeking at me from my necklace holder, Fiesta Shark. :)

Here's the story of Fiesta Shark: as all the cool kids know, this week is Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. Anything you ever wanted to know about sharks, you can learn by watching Shark Week. Anywho, Tuesday was kid's day at my nearby Peter Piper Pizza so my mom, nieces and I went. Well it was a fiesta theme this week so there were plenty of fiesta stickers to go around. My mom and I are holding my niece's stuff and I see a blue shark on the table. So me being me, I decided to have a little fun with the leftover stickers. Thus, Fiesta Shark was born. He's managed to find his way into unexpected little places in our house and he showed up in my room tonight, and seeing that blue, Fiesta-ing bastard looking so very happy with his maracas on his fins and a fish in his mouth made me smile and brought me out of my bad mood. :)

Tonight I present to you, Fiesta Shark! Playing peek-a-boo on my necklace holder and his goldfish buddy, peeking out of his mouth.

Day 7: A Sign

"I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign.
Life is demanding, without understanding.
I saw the sign, and it opened up my eyes, I saw the sign.
No one's gonna drag you up to get into the light where you belong.
But where do you belong?"
-Ace of Base "The Sign"

If you don't know this song or this band I feel sorry for you son. I got 99 problems but 90's music ain't one.

Enough of that, this isn't throwback Thursday just yet. It is Day 7 tho. And day 7 is a sign. Now I was a bit of an over achiever on this one cuz I took pictures of 3 different signs today and they all are relevant to my run. They represent 3 things I think of when I get up in the morning with the intention to go running. Rebel: I do this as a way to get away from the ordinary things that have become the norm in my life. Goal: My goal is to run the entire way around the track. It's ultimately twice around, but at the end of the month, I'll be happy with once around. And finally, Reward: today I celebrated a whole week of running and posting by treating myself to something good so I went to Chichio Boys Fruit Market and got some apples, grapes, strawberries, and plums to enjoy. I also got a ginormous watermelon for my family and I. But buying fruit is not the reward I'm talking about. Ultimately, my reward is the feeling of satisfaction I will get once this month is completed. Even if I don't reach my goal, I know that I at least made the effort to change a part of my life I wasn't happy with. Plus there's always September to continue working towards my goal.

Tonight I present not just "a sign" but "three signs" that describe this month. Here is Rebel, Goal, and Reward.

Day 6: This means a lot to me...

So today was 105º and after all the shenanigans I got into last night, there was no way I was getting up early to go running and no way I was going to go running in the middle of the day either, I'm crazy, but not suicidal,  so tonight was another evening run. It was all a killer 100º at 8:30 when I left for my run, but at least it was windy and there was no sun out anymore. I also did 1/2 mile tonight! I was so proud of myself. Slowly but surely getting back to where I want to be. Before I stopped running, I could run 2-3 miles straight. My ultimate goal is to get back to that.

Anyway, tonight's prompt is "this means a lot to me." At this point in my life, this blog means a lot to me. It keeps me motivated knowing that I have to go running in order to post, but there is someone else who helps keep me motivated. Even tho he may not know it, his words help keep me going. Every time he says, "it's all about consistency," I take it to heart and feel like I cannot disappoint him or myself. This someone is my best friend in the whole wide world, Kris.

Yeah it's a cheesy post tonight, but I don't care. Having someone outside of your immediate family who supports you is a big necessity. Of course my family will support me, they're my family, they kinda have to. To have the support of a friend, especially my best friend, helps me get through this and motivates me to keep getting out there and running. Kris, you have no idea how much you mean to me and how much I appreciate having you in my life. You've done well, Robin. You're making Batman proud. :D

So tonight, I present to you, my best friend, who doesn't like to take pictures, but posed for one anyway for this blog. Thank you for that, and for standing so close to me even tho I was all sweaty and gross.

WOOOO! BEST FRIEND!!! :D 

Day 5: Early

So what kind of irony is it that day 5's prompt is early but my posting of it is quite late? Don't hold it against me, it's my day off, I can do what I want. And I did go for a morning run, I just didn't post til late. Oh vell. :)

Well this morning on my run, I realized 2 things: 1) I hate running even more during the day, and b) people actually go fishing at Woodlawn. It reminded me of the whole,"early bird gets the worm" shenanigans, but it can be paraphrased as, the early fisherman gets the fish. Either way, tonight's photo is of a guy fishing at Woodlawn this morning. :)

Yes this post is late and short and sweet but you know what? It's my day off, I don't give a shit. Also I may or may not have ingested some alcohol tonight, bringing my "I don't give a fuck-o-meter down to 0.

Anyway, tada!! Day 5: Early (even tho its a bit late)

Day 4: Fresh

Day four is a fresh detour from running. Oh I did my run, spent 30 minutes around the track and ran for 15 of those minutes. Go me. :)

AnyWHO, today was an important day for a group of people in a certain fandom. The 12th Doctor was announced to the world today and if you don't know what that means or the  significance of this, please stop reading and leave.

Doctor Who has become a big part of my life and I like to tell myself that I'm running to be a future companion. It's one of the little motivators that keeps me going because when you're with the Doctor, there really is a lot of running.

Since the announcement of Matt Smith's departure from the show, there has been so much speculation as to who the next Doctor would, could, and should be. Our speculations were silenced today as it was announced in a simulcast throughout the world that Peter Capaldi will be filling the roll of the 12th incarnation of the Doctor. I am excited to see what kind of Doctor he will play and absolutely cannot wait for season eight. It is going to be FANTASTIC!

So tonight I present to you, two fresh faces. The first is of me fresh out of the shower after tonight's run. Mostly to somewhat stick to my personal guidelines and keeping it relative to my run. The second is the fresh new face of Doctor Who. Look at us together, don't you think I'd make an absolutely brilliant companion?? ;D Time to keep on training!

Now let's see how early I can get up for my run tomorrow! Probably no earlier than usual, but you never know, stranger things have happened. :) See y'all mañana! :)

Day 3: Skyline

Day three is earlee! I made a rhyme, something like that doesn't happen all the time. Actually, it does. Sometimes I rhyme just cuz. ;D

Okay, enough with that!

So today I close at work so that means 

no running at sunset.  I actually got up somewhat early (9:30ish) and lugged myself to the park to go for a run around the track. It certainly was a different view and a nice change of scenery. Instead of bats all over the place it was dragonflies. I could actually see what construction was going on. I also had a wonderful view of the downtown skyline,  which leads to today's photo prompt.

 I am fortunate enough to run at Woodlawn Lake, which is right outside of downtown and from a certain point on the trail, you get a beautiful view of the downtown skyline. I love my state and my hometown, but I really wish today could've been a photo of the beautiful Austin skyline. That is my dream city. But I'll be taking photos there soon hopefully, so I guess today I can settle for San Antonio. :)

So yesterday, my cousin and sister posted an image up on Pinterest that perfectly describes my running experience. So I've decided to share this here.

Day 2: Incomplete

Day two is completed! Coincidentally, today's photo prompt is "incomplete." Around Woodlawn, there is some construction going on and on the track, it looks like CPS got around to marking off some parts they intended to work on, got bored, and left without cleaning up their mess. So I present to you, day two! Incomplete.

Obviously, this test was too boring to complete. 

On a different note, tonight's run featured music by Janis Joplin. During her song "Cry Baby," I felt her heart and soul pouring out of the song and even tho the song has nothing to do with running, I was highly motivated by the line, "So come on! Come on! Come on! Come on and CRYYYY BABY!" It made me feel like I was getting the support to keep running even tho I felt like stopping and returning to walking. I was able to complete 2 miles total and ran about 1/4 of that. Not where I used to be and not where I want to be, but I'm just getting back into this whole running thing. I'll get there, slowly but surely!! :D

I close tomorrow night at work, that means I've got to get up early and do my run and photo, should be fun actually running while the sun is out! 

Day 1: Something Beginning With N....

It's day uno of my Run-A-Day Photo Challenge! Like I said, I didn't know which 30-day photo challenge I was going to do. I had two choices in front of me: the Capture Your 365 or the ever popular FMS Photo A Day. In the end, I decided to go with the FMS photo challenge. No special reason, just went with it. My friend over in Oceanside, CA is doing the FMS Challenge as well so it'll be fun to see what we each post.

Besides,  look how pretty the list looks! :D

Anyway, day uno is "Something Beginning With N." Well, today was definitely full of words that start with "N" to say the least. No, Nauseous, Nervous, Negligent, Nuts, Not in the mood, and finally, Nightfall.

No, alarms, I refuse to wake up and go to work. I don't care if it's 7:15 and I have to be at work at 8, I don't wanna get out out of bed. What? Dallas you have to go outside? No, hold it. You can't? Okay I'm up. Maybe I can go back to bed for just 5 minutes after I let her out. No, not happening.

Nauseous. I work outside. I need water to make it through my day. Today was one of those days where I didn't drink enough water. That and the fact I was bouncing from one location to another, and wondering how I'm going to make it through a run today contributed to my nauseousness.

Nervous. Today's high temp was 103º. Quite literally a record setter for today. Not nearly as hot as that one Saturday when we hit 108º but it's not too far off. I hate the heat so much. I don't know how I've worked outside for 5 years without spontaniously combusting. Sp of course I was getting nervous thinking about having to run out in the heat. I don't have a gym membership yet so it had to be outside today.

Negligent. My food choice today was not very ideal. An iced caramel mocha from McDonald's for breakfast, Chick-Fil-A for lunch, and chinese for dinner... not the best foods to eat when you're about to start a new running regimen. I'll work on that, I swear.

Nuts is what I'd have to be to go and run outside today. I'm nuts to think I am able to do this for an entire month. I'm nuts to be sitting here on the sofa and not getting this over with. I'm nuts for making up excuses and whining when I could be winning. (Yes, I said winning, get over it.)

Not in the mood. I'm not in the mood to go running. Its getting later and later. The sun's about to go down and by the time I get myself moving, it'll be dark. No point, not in the mood. Wait, it's almost night? THAT'S PERFECT!!!

And finally,

Nightfall. My favorite part of any 24 hour period. It's cooler, the sky is absolutely beautiful (it's Texas, of course it is,) and is there any better time to go for a run? So I make my way down to Woodlawn Lake and am pleasently surprised at the plethora of people there. Families, couples, people with their dogs, cholas, cholos, people by themselves (like me!), and some lovely eye candy. ;) I love nightfall. This is my "something that begins with N."

This is where I like to run. I know I said Woodlawn Lake, but there is a man-made lake here and I love being around water, so why wouldn't I love to run around water? It's an entire mile around the lake and I am proud to say that I ran 2/10 of that mile, according to the markers they have. As I was running, I thought to myself, "I've actually missed this. I can do this, it's not so bad." I forgot how relaxing it can be, and for someone who hasn't run in a LONG WHILE, I was proud if that 2/10 of a mile I ran. Hopefully by the end of the month I can run the entire mile and then some. First things first tho, gotta get started somewhere. 

I look forward to what surprises this month has in store for me and what kind of challenges I'll face during this challenge. Bring it on, Run-A-Day Photo Challenge, I'm ready for you!! :D

The Beginning

So a while back I did a 30 day photo challenge and I absolutely loved it!! I tried to do another one the next month but that fell through. So I'm gonna try another one but this time, I'm gonna do it while getting back into a daily running routine. I've decided that I'm going to start on August 1st. New month, new goal.

What I plan on doing is a normal, 30-day photo challenge, but the only rule is that I MUST take the photo of the day while on a run. I can run wherever, however far, and for however long I want and the photo can be of anything as long as it meets the topic of thr 30-day challenge.

This isn't going to be like in Yes, Man. For those of y'all that have seen the movie, you'll know what I'm talking about. For those that haven't, go rent it and learn! Kidding, in Yes, Man, Zooey Deschanel is part of a running group that documents their runs by taking photos while running. I will and will not be doing the same thing. I will be a part of a one woman running group who takes one picture while on that run for my 30-day challenge. 

To help keep me motivated, I've decided to start a blog following my progress. If I know I have to update this everyday with a photo AND an update on my running, I will be more inclined to do it. I don't really care who reads or follows this, it is for my motivation. Altho support and good juju is always appreciated.

I don't know if this is the photo challenge I will be doing but I'll be looking around and ready to go by the 1st!!