it's a new day.

i am no longer solo dolo. running has become a group effort. ever since the launch of the lace up crew here in phoenix, my running life has forever been changed.

just a year ago i was a walker. the one that dropped the f bomb when it was time to jog again. here i am now, leading a group of motivated individuals. inspriring people to change and be healthier.

the morning the crew launched, i parked and arrived early with tons of excitement. i could hardly sleep the night before! i couldn't wait to see people and share running tips. i was ready to high five someone after the second mile. i was ready to breathe the crisp arizona weather. i was ready to show arizona that people of color run, too.

i laced up (literally) and began to stretch. by 955am, people started trickling in to our meeting location with hopeful faces. i embraced them and quickly asked how they heard about the new running crew. this was a very humbling experience. to meet new people all because of a running group is awesome.

the streets were full of active people. cyclists. dog walkers. day drinkers....and then, there was us. the cool kids. the urban running crew. and yes, we're dope. when the clock striked 1015, we hit the pavement. it was awesome!! omg! there were 3 groups of us. and little old me lead the fast group. i cannot believe i'm saying this! my power song was on 10 as we sped across the tempe town lake bridge.

(how beautiful is that?)

you should've seen us! young urban people, hitting the pavement, setting an example for those around us. with every stride of the pavement we took, we were telling those around us, "running is an ok thing to do."

after the run, we all high fived each other and shouted as people finished their last 100 yards. there are no words that can explain how proud i was of everyone. we all were out of breath wiping the sweat off our faces as we looked around at the beautiful scenary.

we went inside starbucks for water and of course coffee. we sat around and chatted about our individual lives. right there in that moment, i realized that i made new friends. this urban crew has opened my mind to the various different experiences that i have yet to take advantage of in arizona.

i'm so happy this lace up crew is finally here. i'll keep you all posted with future experiences.

peace.

t.