About M

Don’t worry, those are socks!

The first toenail came off after the Los Angeles Marathon in 2004.  I didn’t realize (at that time) that my right big toenail was about to fall off.  A few days later, the nail was hanging for dear life… so I pulled it out.  My right big toe was actually relieved that the dead toenail was gone, and a new one can grow again.

How I Got Into Running (and triathlons)

I’m a CPA, and in the earlier years of my career working at a CPA firm, my de-stressor was running.  Running for me started with a boy (or ex-boy, now).  I wasn’t much of an athlete growing up. I never ran, or participated in any sports in grade school, high school or even college. In my late twenties, after I broke up with my then-boyfriend, I took up running.  I worked many hours as an accountant at the firm, so I carved out a few hours of the day or night, for a few short runs.  My friends and family supported me with running races, at least when I was doing 5k and 10k runs. When I started running marathons (lots of them), they thought I was crazy*… until I got them involved in it! Now, we all run the same races (most of them anyway), together.  In 2012, I got into ultra-running, and learned that it’s okay to fail sometimes, then bounce back and be successful the next time.  I also learned that ultra-running is different from road racing, in a much better way.  I have met many wonderful people who are super humble and the nicest people ever.  The ultra-running community is a different kind of culture, it’s a lifestyle.  Finally, I joined a triathlon club (Silicon Valley Triathlon Club in the Bay Area, CA) for the ‘run’ portion and to do cross-training.  But then I got into triathlons as well, doing various sprints/ olympic triathlons, and at least 3 half-Ironman (70.3) distances; that’s the farthest I will go for a triathlon, I don’t quite like the biking part.

If you have completed a marathon (or ultra-marathon), you might have lost a toenail (or two) afterwards.  It’s gross, I know, but they grow back.  And when they do, the process repeats itself.  I liked to show off my missing toenails to my sisters, much to their dismay.  It’s just wonderful how our bodies recuperate, and I wanted to share that amazement with them.  Just like the dead toenail falling off, and a new one growing, I try to bounce back, grow and learn from the races I do not finish, or training runs that do not go well.  In this blog, I hope to keep the memories of my experiences alive.  If I can even inspire another person to live the active lifestyle, then even better!

Take care and keep on running,

– Minel

*If this story seemed familiar, you have probably read about me on Women’s Running magazine (“Women Who Move” feature), January/February 2009 issue #30. They took down the online version have the online version here, and I also have the hardcopy scanned below!

p.s.

Here’s the scan of my “interview” on Women Who Move. Click the image for a larger version!