Yesterday I completed my July 5k, called the 5k extrAVAganza. This race was done to raise funds for Los Amigos de AVA(The friends of AVA). This is a foundation with the aim to create consciousness about TANC2 and other uncommon genetic neurological conditions. Some common symptoms of TANC-2 are autism, epilepsy, intellectual disability, delayed language and motor skills delayed development.

Ava is one of the 33 people diagnosed with this condition worldwide and the first in Puerto Rico. 

It took place in Guaynabo, at 7 am, which sounded like a reasonable hour for a race to start, early, but not too early. That was until we started running and the sun was shining bright, and very hot. Maybe it would have been better to start a little bit earlier. 

We were running on a long avenue in Guaynabo,  which I was sure was closed to traffic, otherwise I wouldn’t be running there. I was just doing my best, when  I saw a car driving out of one of the neighborhoods next to us. Within a few minutes there were three cars trying to make their way around the race. I was terrified and I kept thinking what my plan of action would be. Either I could stay behind the cars and take a very long time to finish the race, see if I could find a sidewalk or try to get ahead of them. I know I can’t outrun a car but I wanted to catch up to the runners in front of me. 

It was probably the fear that took over me and gave me strength to start running faster, catch up to the people in front of me and get a lot of distance between me and the cars. The cars were stopped pretty quickly by one of the cops who was directing traffic away from the race. 

This time, I was not able to run the three miles, I didn’t even finish one whole mile, so I tried timing myself but that doesn’t work if you don’t do it from the beginning, at least not for me. What does help is people, hearing a friend from my running group cheer me on as he saw me along the way and another runner commenting on my Freddy’s Runners shirt. 

Also checking my watch and realizing that I needed to speed up if I wanted to finish in less than 40 was also very helpful. I finished in 39:18, close to but less than 40. 

Next I have a 10 mile race in Las 16 Millas de Sabrina in August. I am not ready to do the 16 mile run yet, so I’m starting with 10. 

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Published by mariacristinasanfeliu

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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