For my February 5k, I decided to run a race I had already done four times and the first race I did after my brain injury. The first time I did this, I was still beginning to walk again; I did part of the race on a wheelchair, a walker, so I walked across the finish line. It took me over an hour.
The next time I was able to walk and had some help. I remember the last time I did it, I ran and walked by myself and I fell, but I still finished in my fastest time, 51:30. This fifth time, I was sure I could finish faster; I have been training and improving my time on every race.
I have also been doing research on what foods to eat before and after running. I was just eating pasta before races in the afternoon, but as I kept reading I found that’s not necessarily the best thing to do for a short 5k. I had avocado with salmon which was a great choice, I felt great and had energy to keep running even though it was tough running at 4:30 pm.
Eating a healthy, light meal with protein and training for over four months helped me finish the race in 37:33 minutes. That’s a lot faster than the other four times I completed this race and faster than the other four races I have done since October.
I’m an aspiring writer still looking for exactly what I want to write about, with a lot of creativity, imagination and desire to write.
I studied Writing and Rhetoric at Syracuse University where I explored many different sides of writing through my classes and extracurricular activities in order to narrow my search for an identity as a writer.
I have written for Citrus TV Noticias and La Voz magazine, both of which gave me the chance to explore different mediums in which to write in. Through Citrus TV Noticias I also gained experience in translating from English to Spanish and vice versa, which is also something that I would be interested in working on since I am fluent in both of these languages. I was also an intern at Syracuse University Press where I got hands on experience in what goes into actually editing and publishing a book.
Through out the last four years I have faced a lot of challenges, which helped chape the person I am today. After being in a tragic car accident, being in comma, having a Traumatic Brain Injury, and being in therapy for over a year, I am a new me, willing to face challenges and knowing how to deal with them. I want to write about my accident and life after it to help others, show them it can be done and help in any way I can.
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Unstoppable María 