Last week I did something that I had been thinking about for a while but was still unsure about; I signed up for my second half-marathon. This is a big deal, at least to me, because it’s not just any half-marathon; I signed up for San Blas, probably the hardest half-marathon in Puerto Rico.

San Blas began as a 3 mile race for Puerto Rican athletes, organized by the fraternity Delta Phi Delta in Coamo in 1963. In 1966, the distance of the race increased to 21.0975 km or 13.2 miles. Soon, international athletes began participating in it and has become a very important and famous race locally and internationally.

Now, I know what you’re all thinking, she has only been running for a little over a year, she can’t compete with professional athletes, she’s not ready. 

According to the newspaper, El Nuevo Día, Last year there was a record breaking number of subscribers for the race.

You’re right, I can’t compete with them, but I’m not trying to. I know I won’t even be halfway there when the first runners finish, and that’s ok because I’m not trying to compete with, I’m competing with myself, like I have been since 2012. 

But I still wasn’t sure if I was ready for such a big race either, that’s why I asked my coach, Freddy. The first thing he said was it’s not too much and then he told me what I would need to do to prepare. I need to wake up earlier for my long runs on Saturdays and my practices need to be a lot longer.

I know I can do that, so I didn’t wait any longer and signed up. 

The race is on March 7th, so I have a little over 8 months to prepare. I know it won’t be easy but I’m ready to put in the work and cross that finish line. 

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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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