I was a late bloomer to this running craziness. One of my coworkers would always talk to me about running in the hopes that I would get into it. Nope. I was not interested because I could not run even one mile.
I began running in the summer of 2005. I remember walking along the lakefront and I saw this older man running and I told myself “Well, if he can do it, so can I”. I immediately signed up with CARA for their Beginner’s Program. The goal was to run for 30 minutes. I only made it to about 29 minutes. Still, it was an accomplishment for me.
My first race was a 5K in November. I finished in 39:48. Not the best time but I was happy for it being my first race ever. The rest is history. To date I’ve completed many races with various distances from a 5K to an ultramarathon. In 2012, I completed my first relay race (Ragnar Relay Chicago). I had a blast!
I am also a second grade teacher. Prior to teaching I was a marketing manager for a nonprofit organization. Every day brings smiles from my kids. Throughout the day they learn something from me but I learn much more from them.
I run because I can. I run because I enjoy that feeling of accomplishment whether it is a short or long run. I run because it is my “me” time.
I also have two cats, Lola and Mateo and they are spoiled.
Hi Zenaida! Love your blog. If you want to run MCM 2017…give me a shout!
Thank you Micheal! I would love to run it one year but not sure about this year.
I’m the director of 3100 RUN AND BECOME, a feature-length doc on the world’s longest race (the Self-Transcendence 3100 Miler – that’s the one where people run 60 miles a day for 52 days around a 1/2 mile block in NYC). But the film is so much more than that. The film interweaves narratives of a Navajo ultramarathoner, a Kalahari Bushman and a Japanese Marathon Monk.
I’d love to invite you to our opening on 9/21 at 6 pm at the Gene Siskel. Please let me know at [email protected]
Here’s the trailer: https://vimeo.com/266754781
We were featured on the Rich Roll podcast, Trail Runner Mag and many others. We started our theatrical tour in Santa Fe, which Billy Mills hosted. He said “Whether you’re a runner or someone looking to transform your life, inspiration can be found if you have the courage to look within. A film like 3100: Run and Become is the perfect starting point.”
We’ve had incredible panels all over the country with Tegla Loroupe, Paul Tergat, Kate Grace (800 m Olympian), ultra-champions Tim Olson, Hillary Allen, Keely Henninger and Cat Bradley too. Brooks CEO Jim Weber sent his employees to our Seattle Screening. Nike’s Global Running Team hosted a screening while we had our Portland engagement. We started in the outdoor/mountain towns. Chicago is our first major city.
We open at the Gene Siskel Film Center downtown this Friday 9/27 til Thursday 9/27. We then have a special day-before-the-marathon screening on October 7th at the Gene Siskel at 1 pm. But again our opening night is 9/21 at 6. We’d love to have you there.