CIM (California International Marathon) - My 2022 Marathon

I’ve been hearing so much about CIM in recent years, but when you’re on the East Coast that is quite the trip! Now that we’re on the west coast I made this my marathon for the year and hopefully a great opportunity for a personal best! Back in 2016 I crossed the finish line in 3 hours and 30 seconds!!! Qualifying for Boston, yes! But not joining the sub-3 club. What better time to make an attempt than now!?!?

First stop was Fleet Feet Sacramento for a shakeout led by Black Girls Run and Black Men Run. Great first run in Sacramento, and hands down one of the best Fleet Feet’s I’ve ever been to. They have everything! Then a reading of Alison’s new book Running While Black followed by a Q&A. It’s been great hearing the continued dialogue birthed from her book and having Kouri with us makes it another memorable experience.

Second stop was the expo. Grabbed my bib, Alison got settled at her booth, left Kouri with her and then I got to exploring. Chose to get my shot at the “CIM” as opposed to the “26.2” photo spot. Can’t go wrong either way, but don’t leave without getting one or the other.

Then it was time to get some rest. S/O to Alison getting a hotel right by one of the bus stops. I ran into some heading back home who missed the bus to the start line and had to grab a taxi! I’d rather avoid having a stressful morning. If there’s anything I can sell you on, if you do this race pay for the VIP package. It’s worth it! Everyone has the option of staying on the bus to stay warm, but for those who chose the VIP you get a building that’s warm and porta potties set aside for you. There’s coffee, water, fruit and bagels inside. When you have the space to move you can relax, stretch and warm up before you head to the starting line.

Now to the course. I chose to go against my original plan, and just go fast and take a chance on really going for it. I will live with that. Ran with someone who previously ran a 2:57:00 and we were cruising. Everyone kept talking about the rolling hills in the first half and they weren’t playing around. It’s a lot of up-and-down! Up-and-down! Up-and-down! Up-and-down! Up-and-down! Hah! That eventually caught up to me around the 30K mark. My mind was moving forward but my legs didn’t have the stamina to keep what I was trying to hold. When you don’t hit your goal how do you respond? Or how would you respond?

If you look to the crowd for some extra energy this is a tough course for that. There’s not a ton of cheer stations, so you’re out there on your own unless you have people traveling to support you, which I highly recommend. This year they changed the relay portion to only two people, so one person runs 13.4 and the other person runs 12.8 miles. I think if they kept the original 4 person relay that creates extra cheer zones, which are great for the course, but I understand logistics are probably tough for that.

Much love and S/O to Renegade Running, Black Girls Run - Sacramento, Black Men Run - Sacramento, Corremos Sacramento, Oiselle Voile for being out there cheering everyone on!

Are you thinking about doing this race next year? It is a fast course, but be prepared for those early hills. It’s not a flat course at all, but it lives up to the “net downhill” status it carries. If I come back I’ll probably hit the relay with a buddy. We’ll see, but let me know what your’e thinking.

Run The Rut 2021 Finisher!

For the past 5-6 years I’ve wanted to Run The Rut. After seeing a video online and seeing a runner flying across a tiny path on top of a mountain, I was entranced! Big Sky, Montana is a long way from NYC, so it just never was an option for me.

That is, until I knew we were relocating to Seattle this past January. Knowing that we’d be so close to Montana, I confirmed that they were holding an in-person race and signed up for the 50K. I was going to make it a little family vacation.

It’s one thing to see a video, and a totally different experience when you see something yourself. This course is HARD!

I knew from about two weeks prior I wasn’t going to go full throttle on this, because after my last long run my knee blew up and I could move my leg for a solid two days. After going to the doctor and confirming that it was just soft-tissue inflammation, I took off the taper week and eased back into some miles the week of the race.

The 50K started at 6am Sunday morning, so for the first 30-45 minutes we were all wearing head lamps. There were three separate rolling waves, and I went out in the first trying to get ahead of as many people as I could since 60% of this course was on a single track. That being the case it’d be hard to get past people at certain points. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the lead pack of runners who got lost around mile 1.5-2 and coming up from behind us to letting us know they took a wrong turn! Hah! Safe to say we avoided that.

I stopped to watch the sunrise, took in the views, and enjoyed the journey. This felt like a non-stop climb, so I power-hiked a lot. During those moments power-hiking I chatted with a good number of people, including a handful of people also taking on this race for the first time like me. Most people were polite when passing, as was I whenever the opportunity arrived.  It suprises me how some wear headphones, but to each their own.

One of my favorite moments was getting to mile 15 and thinking I was feeling good, and then hear someone cheering on the course telling me that we’re just getting started. That statement was so true and I didn’t realize until later along the way.

I’m not afraid of heights at all, but there were some spots as we were going across the mountain that I was nervous. If you weren’t focused or were off balance for a second it really isn’t that hard to fall down this mountain. That’s the reason it’s on the waiver, and I reminded myself constantly that I paid to participate in this!

Whoever added the ascent to Andesite, we need to have a conversation. Hah! After 24.5 miles and seeing that steep incline I was next to another participant, and we both shouted, “Jesus Christ!” It is top-3 “most disrespectful part” of the course.

As was captured at the finish, I chose to grab a beer than to hug/kiss Alison and Kouri!!!! I just wanted it to end! I was out there for 10 hours and 5 minutes. Even though I had no expectations, I did not anticipate being out there so long. That goes to show how tough this race is.

I retired from Mountain Running for the rest of that day, but in the morning I knew I wanted to sign up to do this again. So much so, that I might even go for the TRI-FECTA (i.e. VK on Fri, 28K on Saturday and the 50K on Sunday)!!!! Baby steps might be the safer bet. I learned a lot and next time I train, I will make sure my plan is even more aggressive. I may not have access to being at elevation, but I have some great spots where I can get the elevation gain I need.

I highly recommend running poles for this and gaiters. The two things I did not have. But next time it won’t be just my wife and son. Looking forward to bringing some more black and brown folk out to Montana to experience this. Who’s with me?

Run The Rut 10th Year >>> September 2-4, 2022

#CyclingThruCOVID

“I am returning [to cycling for transportation] after some time. 2-3 years ago my bike was stolen, so I took some time away from cycling. Glad I resumed a year ago. When the physical distancing guidelines were put in place, I was ready!

I manage a lab in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at Columbia University Medical Center. I was pulled on to a COVID-19 study, which put me into the pool of essential workers. Had I not been doing COVID-19 research I would've been physically distancing myself at home with my family."

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To catch the entire Highlight Series head to The Brown Bike Girl. Like, comment and share.

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S/O to Courtney [Williams] for highlighting us. I know I was holding onto my experience. I really hope more people turn to alternative routes of transportation, especially with no treatment or vaccine being available for SARS-CoV-2. Taking public transportation are high risk activities I am thankful I am not forced to take. During the shutdown, I’ve even heard of friends taking long walks to work. Now with places around the US opening back up, and in NYC we are in Phase 4, I am still proceeding with caution. Have you chosen to walking? Running? Cycling?

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Some wondered on Wednesday if it was appropriate to acknowledge the unofficial holiday at all, but others turned it into a platform to donate to causes supporting Black Lives Matter, demonstrators, and healthcare workers on the frontlines. Runners also remarked that running a few miles on Global Running Day offered an… (Read More via Women’s Running)

3 Ways to Keep Your [Running] Community Together While Social Distancing

As the leader of Harlem Run, one of the largest running crews in NYC,  I’ve had to be creative over the last several weeks to come up with ways to keep my community connected safely, while remaining socially distant. Professionally, I manage a core facility in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at Columbia University Medical Center and was well aware of the important sacrifices our community needed to make to help prevent rapid spread of the virus.  Therefore, even before the official mandates regarding social distancing were made in New York, I made the tough decision to cancel our weekly… (Read More via MapMyRun Blog)

Personal Website Is Live!

For years I’ve been sitting on so much that I’ve learned using my college degree, passion projects, community organizations I’ve been involved with, hobbies and personal experiences. I utilize social media to connect and share in my experiences, but now having my own personal website, I will explore and elaborate even more on current, past and future projects. I am a creative at heart, and look forward to collaborating with you or someone else you know whose vision aligns with my own. Stay tuned for more and thank you for visiting my page.