Curiosity Killed the Cat

Personal Life Continued:

March got a little difficult for my running training. Last time, I talked about doing my first 10K, which took place on Catalina Island and was quite difficult because it went uphill right off the bat for the first 1-2 miles. I made two friends near the halfway point, where we paced each other and pushed each other to the finish. My 2nd 10K was a big mistake: going up to the Verdugo Mountains, where it was a straight-up hill battle for 3 miles, then 3 miles downhill on a muddy dirt road as it started raining on us. During this race, I think my right IT band got injured or flared up. I started that race late because I went to the wrong mountain spot and ended up starting after everyone. I took a few days off to prepare for my third race in Azusa, which was flat and felt good for the first 2 miles, but then both my IT bands gave out, so I spent the rest of it limping and walking. I took about 3 weeks off to recover, which I didn’t want to do because I needed to train for my half-marathon, but it wouldn’t have made an impact. 

I completed my first-ever half marathon in May! It was the Rock N Roll Run in San Diego, where I raised money for kiddos with cancer through St. Jude. I thank everyone who supported me in whatever ways they could. Although I didn’t meet my fundraising goal, I paid off the remaining balance because this cause really mattered to me. 

This race was quite fun, but I was running it on two IT Band injuries, so that was a challenge. I can tell you I wanted to give up so many times because of the pain in my knees. I know I can walk a half marathon at Disneyland anytime I go without worrying about the distance. I stopped somewhere around the 8-mile marker and grabbed ice to sit on the side of the road; I almost quit right there. I was struggling to stand up until someone walked over to help me and asked about the goose I was running with. People asked me this question several times throughout the race, and it reminded me that I want to run for myself, for the kids I’m fundraising for, and for the joy of making people smile and laugh. After that moment, my pain eased just enough that I started doing short running bursts after walking, but I also felt fear because I could spot the sweeping car starting to catch up. Every time I felt like giving up in the last few miles, I told myself I’m doing this for someone else, so I won’t give up until I cross the finish line. About one mile away from the finish line, there was a tunnel underpass under the highway where we got some nice shade from the sun, but you could just see the faint light at the end of the tunnel and hear the music and crowds yelling near the final stretch to the finish line. I think at this moment I started to cry and tear up, because I was doing this race for the kiddos with cancer, for my sister in chemo, for my aunt who survived chemo, for my best friend’s mom, and for all the other friends and family impacted by cancer in my lifetime. I was in so much pain physically, but I was complaining about one small day, while others had to give up months of their life fighting the thing that was slowly killing them. So I pushed myself to the finish line, and while I probably had one of the worst times I could have possibly gotten (based on my prior stats and predictions, I can say I finished a half marathon, which only a small portion of the population can say they did. 

Anyhow, I took the summer off to recover, skipped my first 5K back to support my sister and brother-in-law while they recover from other accidents and issues. But I met my fundraising goal for my 10K coming up this weekend! I may then do another half-marathon in October/November before the Marathon in December, followed by two other races in January and March of next year. 

In the meantime, I am focused on enjoying the time I have by going to concerts and festivals (Karol G, Kehlani, Warped Tour, Gorillaz, and many more). I also got to finally see The Phantom of the Opera in person!!! It healed a lot in me, and I had so many goosebumps hearing that organ!

Hawai’i Pacific University: 
I finished Term 5 and Term 6 strong! I am sad that I lost a few friends in the cohort; they are having to stay back a term for personal reasons, so it was rough not having them around. Most of you don’t know my dating history, but I started to have feelings for someone again; sadly, someone beat me to the punchline. 

I am starting my final year of the program, and I will be starting my rotations on Monday, so stay posted for what’s to come this final year!

I was also awarded the HOME RUN Educational Award, which is like a scholarship to pay for tuition (I may be going back for another degree) since I can’t use it on past tuition (aka loans). You are probably asking,” Brandon are you crazy- another degree?” To which I would reply, yes, I am. But when they give you so much money in return for working five years in rural Hawai’i, you might as well pursue additional training that will give you better opportunities long-term to be sustainable in Hawai’i or wherever I wind up long-term in this economy. I’ve been looking at options to get my Master’s in Public Health for healthcare administration or government positions, or maybe even going back to be a nurse practitioner or physician assistant (aka an assistant). I would still be a therapist long-term, but it would give me options to expand my expertise, build a private practice across multiple areas, and ultimately do some pro bono projects on the side that I otherwise couldn’t sustain financially long-term. 

Stay tuned because the OTDream may once again be changing into a new website in the next year! 

Special Projects:

Bran Diego Photos – BranDiegoPhotography

Thank you for your time, dedication, and service! You can always reach out to me @bran.m.ramirez@gmail.com

-Brandon Ramirez