Taking it one step at a time

Lace up your running shoes, because Valley Elementary School’s popular Cinco de Mayo Trail Run is returning on May 2.

The Trail Run is a major fundraiser for Valley Elementary. This will be the ninth year that the Cinco de Mayo Trail Run will be held.

Organized by the Valley Elementary Educational Foundation, the Trail Run is a unique course that attracts both elite runners and beginners.

Registration fees until April 19 are $40 for adults running the 5K or 10K, $25 for runners ages 8 through 17, $10 for kids 7 and under (both the kids race and the 5K) and $40 to be a “virtual runner.”

Registration and more information are available at www.cincodemayotrailrun.org.

Each year, the Trail Run features a Trailblazer, an inspirational athlete that will run in the race with their own Trailblazer team.

This year, the Trailblazer is Rhonda Martin from El Cajon, who managed to lose 277 pounds in three years through diet and exercise. Martin now has run eight 5Ks, four half marathons and five sprint triathlons. She bikes 38 miles to and from work on most days.

“I was honored (to be asked to be) this year’s Trailblazer,” said Martin, who works for a plumbing company, Master Plumbing and Leak Detection. “It’s amazing to go from only being able to take 150 steps a day to running half-marathons and being noticed for it.”

Martin’s journey to being a runner began on Feb. 7, 2012. She weighed 457 pounds and could take only 150 steps a day. That evening, however, she got out of her chair and started walking — an action that led to her losing nearly 300 pounds in three years.

“I did it the old fashioned way, counting calories and moving more,” said Martin. She started by challenging herself to walk 100 more steps each day, doing laps in the warehouse at her work, with each lap being 30 steps.

She then moved on to electric bikes with her husband, Chuck, riding the bike paths in Coronado. “I fell in love with cycling,” she said. Martin now bikes to work most days, a 38-mile round trip that takes her two-and-a-half hours. “It’s two-and-a-half hours, but it’s two-and--a-half hours totally for me,” she said. “It’s stress relief. I’d much rather be on a bike than in traffic.”

Martin did her first half-marathon (13.1 miles) in January 2014, walking four minutes for every minute she ran. “I never thought I’d ever be running in half-marathons or triathlons,” said Martin. “My biggest goal (when I began) was to get under and stay under 400 pounds. I never thought I’d be doing what I’m doing.”

She said she “fell in love” with running in December. “I found a running buddy, and now I’m enjoying running. My running buddy just talked me into doing a full marathon in December.”

Her new goal, she said, is to do a full Iron Man competition by November 2016.

Martin said that what helped her succeed in losing 277 pounds was focusing on mini goals. “I couldn’t look at the big picture,” she said. “Losing 300 pounds was just too big a task. I didn’t overhaul my life in the first week, I just made one small change.”

Interested runners can join Martin’s Trailblazer team by choosing the team name Rhonda Martin when registering online and using the discount code 2015CDMRHONDA.

Registered runners are encouraged to attend the Pre-Race Expo from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, May 1 at Laces Running Company, 10549 Scripps Poway Parkway, to pick up your race packet, including your race bib, timing chip and race shirt. Packet pickup and registration are available on site, but not encouraged.

There are three courses available for running: the kids race, meant for ages 7 and under; a 5K race where you can pick your pace; and a grueling 10K.

The kids race is a noncompetitive one-third mile run for kids who aren’t ready to tackle the 5K race quite yet. It follows a trail on the near side of Lake Poway and finishes in the same spot as the 10K and 5K, so kids can still have fun crossing the finish line.

The 5K race is designed to let you pick your own pace, so if you’re a family looking for a nice morning hike or a runner looking for an elite challenge, the 5K will suit your needs.

If you’re looking for a real challenge, the 10K adds on to the 5K with a trek into the Blue Sky reserve and a 10 percent incline climb to the Ramona Dam.