Big Race Announcement (Times Two)!

After the excitement of last Friday’s post (where I announced that I will be quitting my office job at the end of the month and finally confessed to having been working two jobs since January), I can finally start to look forward to life post-office work–and, now that notice has been given and I’ve come clean about work, I can finally make yet another exciting announcement:

In June, I will be participating in the Susan Komen Race for the Cure 5K Run and the 20 mile Ride for Roswell Park Cancer Institute Bike Ride!!

Ladies and gentlemen, meet your new Cancer Research Fundraising Queen.

Needless to say I’m beyond exited for both races.  The Susan Komen Race for the Cure will be my first summer race ever in Buffalo.  It goes through beautiful Delaware Park–the best place to be on a June morning in Buffalo–and, of course, it benefits breast cancer research.  My grandmother is a feisty, fabulous, and sweet breast cancer survivor and I ran my first 5K race (for breast cancer research as well) for her, so I’ll be doing it again with extra pizzazz in my step–AND a 30 minute 5k race time to smack down.

As for the 20-mile ride… Oooh, cue chills and nerves and giddiness.  I will be riding as part of Team Papa’s Pedallers with my sisters and a bunch of friends, all of whom have been affected by cancer in some way.  So we are racing for those we’ve lost (my dad, Linz’s dad, John’s grandpa) and for those who’ve given the disease ten shades of what-all and are here to tell the tale (my fabulous Linz, my ridiculously funny and kind uncle Lali, and Alli’s dad, among others).  AND I don’t own a bike.  AND I haven’t been on one since last year.  AND I can’t ride in a straight line.  But I’m sure between now and then, I’ll figure it all out.  Or just lose my fear of scabs and scrapes.

Once I hit the register button, though, I had a bit of a shock that had nothing to do with the actual race training I’ll need to do.

I realized that I would have to raise money for TWO races–eeeek!  Though they are both for excellent causes and I can honestly say that both causes are equally important to me, I’m still conscious of the fact that I’ll be hitting up all my nearest, dearest and known for some fundraising love, and doing it twice.

But I’m making myself a Cancer Research Fundraising Queen crown (from leftover red carnival feathers, because I need to use them up) and, over the next few weeks, I’ll be working on some very devious schemes interesting ideas for fund-raising for both races.  Hint:  there may be giveaways…. and more.

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Now that I’ve given my notice, I feel I have an extra spring in my step–quite literally.  So, despite sleeping terribly last night (word to the wise:  maybe getting engrossed in a drama about a serial killer before I go to sleep isn’t such a great idea–hello, Dexter nightmares) I still hit the pavement this morning with a special zing to my booty.

Four miles were on the agenda and four miles I did.  I felt light and speedy, and I must have been, too–I actually beat my best 5k time by a minute and change, without even trying!  29:04, holla at me… And 4 miles in 40 isn’t too shabby for me, either.  I could have sworn I felt like death during that last mile, but I know now that I was being a total drama queen, as I’m wont to do when the sun is in my eyes and I smell sewery nastiness at 7:15 am on the extra mile loop.

And, since tomorrow is a national holiday here in Trinidad and Tobago (it’s Spiritual Baptist Day, or Shouter Baptist Day in more common parlance), I knew that a good swim had to happen given that the pool would be closed tomorrow and I need that swim to keep me limber between run days.  So, hair still wet from the morning’s shower, I hit the pool at lunch for 36 minutes of blinding sun and sweet whooshings before going back to work with the biggest smile on my face.

Needless to say, I can watch ALL the Dexter I want tonight–I’m going to sleep like the dead after today’s quest for bootiliciousness.  I hope the Spiritual Baptists don’t take to my street in the early am, though, or I may turn into a Shouter Laura right back at them.

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Today’s style snippet, brought to you once again by my fall 2008 trip to Puerto Rico:

Not so close, for full effect...

Closer...

Closest--the trim deserves admiration, no?

The skirt is Marshall’s boutique, the blouse is from Kress.  I was able to wear that blouse for about two months after I bought it, and then I couldn’t wear it without popping buttons.  It’s nice and loose now.  This realization will keep me from devouring all the remaining lemon bars in my fridge.

And, speaking of food…

Today’s lunchtime salad of chipotle and garlic chicken on green salad with tomatoes, green onion, and peppers, with salsa for dressing had its portrait deleted (a shame too, because it was most delicious), so I’ll give you a shot of the Tibetan burritos instead:

Another odd but tasty concoction, courtesy of the Moosewood Restaurant peeps–these have a soy mince, onion, carrot, and cabbage filling sauteed in soy sauce, ginger and garlic, and topped with a fresh tomato salsa of tomatoes, scallions, cilantro and mint (if you have it–I don’t).  Fusion Mexican-Tibetan food served on a Trinidad table by a Puerto Rican girl, how very fitting!