How have I been? Well great! and lazy. Something about the weather creating a solid ice brick known as your current city you call home that puts a damper on your training which adds to that feeling of snuggling in a blanket with your cat is so much better than walking. I have done a lot of snuggling. The weather in my town really has not been conducive in any manner of training, unless of course I was training for a race in Antarctica. I have put down the miles when I could, but nothing like what I did before the Seattle Half. I have also learned that I really dislike treadmills! I mean REALLY dislike them. The contact that my foot does on the belt is nothing like the contact on pavement, and also does not come with the satisfaction for me.
This leads us to today. In less than 24 hours, I will be stepping out to begin half marathon #3 in
Tomorrow's race will also be somewhat political for me. Recent news out of Arizona has discussed a bill called 1062. Some people felt that this was a "Religious Freedom" bill, but it can also be considered a "Legal Discrimination" bill. Wait, WHAT? I know, you are thinking that discrimination is illegal. Well, it is, sort of. With this bill, had it have signed by the Governor (she vetoed it, but it passed in the Senate and the House), a business would have had the right to refuse service to a person based on their strong religious convictions. So if my religious convictions said that I should not interact with a specific group of people, I could refuse them service and claim that my religion told me not to, and this would have been legally protected. This is not referring to what a person does in their church environment. I honestly feel that churches themselves have the right to deny service to whomever they choose. That is a church, which is sort of like an exclusive club, hence why there are so many religions and churches. They are not one size fits all. This bill had more to do with what people do in the general public: coffee house, gas station, grocery store, movie theatre, dry cleaning, etc. You know, every day living! So if my religious beliefs hold that I am to never associate with people who have pink and purple polka dots surrounding a third eye ball that is on their chin, I could have legally turned people away from my place of business for that very reason, and it would have been okay. This bothers me greatly. I firmly believe that all people are created equal. I do not care who you are, or your minority status, you are a person and you deserve to be respected and treated how I would treat anyone else. I am a person of minority status. I also have been discriminated against in various manners. I would have thought that by 2014, we as a society could wake up and see that we are just all humans. The premise of this country had to do with people wishing to not be persecuted by their homeland. Why are we continuing the persecution? Again, what you do in your church is fine because that is the exclusive club. What you do in your home is fine, you know, provided it does not harm yourself or others. But to say you will not serve a specific group of people in a public place, that is just like the segregation that was occurring just a few short years ago. Not sure what I mean? Go look up the Civil Rights movement.
So tomorrow, I will do my half marathon. I will do it as a minority in a state who can racially profile me and demand I prove my citizenship status. I will do it for people who are not able to walk out their door and feel safe from discrimination. I will do it without hiding any part of who I am as that is what makes me great!
Race time: 23 hours, 1 minute...
