Friday, April 19, 2013

This Weekend Is My Toughest Run Yet!

Tough Mudder is this weekend. For those of you that don't know how crazy it is, let me describe it to you. Picture a 10 mile run, that is actually promised to be a bit longer, how long? You won't know until you get there. Matter of fact, you know nothing is for sure. It's designed to make you question everything. So the event describes a couple of the obstacles but you don't know the order or what will be there for sure. You go to the website for any hope, but instead find this: An evil website that explains that there are over 20+ obstacles and shows 24 obstacles that could be on the run. So now you're in a weird unprepared dizzy. Will I get shocked? Probably. Will I go through freezing water? No doubt. Will I need to practice for the longest set of monkey bars I have ever seen or the set of ring swings they call "Hangin' Tough". What kind of American Gladiator craziness is this? So you're fit. Fit enough? Well, it doesn't matter because you also need to be mentally prepared. Mentally prepared? That's what's written in the section titled "How Fit Do I Need To Be To Do Tough Mudder?"

Is the picture a bit much? Well too bad. It's too late, you've signed up and you'll never be ready!

I did prepare. I've been part of Y-Mudder. A group at work specializing in training for the Tough Mudder. I also happened to like it a lot. It's a rigorous program that I wish I was doing before I even decided to do this run. And I've done quite a few mud runs. I'm also pretty good at monkey bars and scaling walls. I don't want to brag but I can scale a ten foot wall pretty easily. It's part of the parkour training I do.

So will I be okay? Probably. Just a little muddy, wet, shocked and cold. Not a big deal, I tell myself. :)

-L. Vera

Friday, April 12, 2013

Get Out and Celebrate Earth Day

Earth Day is celebrated each year on April 22nd. Earth Day was started in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson to raise awareness about the environment. It was a grassroots effort in which each community decided how to celebrate. The first year 1 in every 10 people celebrated. This year 1 billion people are expected to celebrate worldwide.

So what are some ways you can celebrate this year around San Antonio?
What can you do all year to celebrate?
Looking to make a difference? Here are some small changes you can make to help make the world a better place:
  • Start a compost bin
  • Use a reusable water bottle
  • Plant a tree
  • Take public transportation once a week
  • Recycle aluminum, glass, paper, and plastics
  • Use reusable shopping bags or take recycle plastic bags appropriately
  • Turn off lights when you're not in the room
  • Switch to CFL bulbs
  • Leave grass clippings as mulch in your yard
  • Turn the water off when brushing your teeth
What are some of the fun ways you celebrate Earth Day with your family? What small changes have you made in your life to make things a little more green?

Friday, April 5, 2013

Siclovia This Weekend!

Siclovia! It's that time again. I have yet to officially enjoy Siclovia in all of it's pleasure. Either bad timing or I'm hidden behind the scenes. This year, for once, I'm available to participate. Now for those of you who don't know what it is, it's like going to the healthiest party in San Antonio. Siclovia the one day where streets are closed. People are moving around and it's another day I'm convinced that people do want to make a change in their life. I'll be out there, probably a bit tired since I will be doing my 10 mile run and workout for my Y-muddder group on Sunday and not Saturday because Saturday is Foam Fest.

So it's another long weekend for me. I also need to wear googles for Foam Fest because I also recently got PRK done, which is a form of LASIK eye surgery and it's awesome. I'm also wearing racquetball glasses during the day, to protect my eyes from getting injured while they are still healing. so good luck poking my eyes. The day you can see everything in the shower is amazing. It's feels like wearing permanent contacts without the issues of having a lens in your eye. Soon, I should be able to see underwater too. It's the small things that can be quite satisfying.

-L. Vera