Yesterday I ran my first half-marathon. WOOHOO!
Apr
11
The morning started off pretty badly as I received a phone call at 2:44am from someone who dialed the wrong number. I couldn’t get back to sleep after that.
Maybe TMI, but in the morning, guess who decides is the perfect time I pay a visit? If you said, “AF.” You’re RIGHT!! Lovely.
I was running late and had to park extremely far away from the transition area, which made me more late. I walked to the wrong entrance to set up my station before the race. The volunteers were telling me to hurry as the professionals were about to begin. I set all my stuff up and ran out. Just at that moment, I realized that I left my TIMING chip at my station, in my bag. Thankfully, they allowed me to run back in and get it. Whew.
After the rush, rush, rush, I had to sit around and wait for over an hours before my wave began.
I finished the swim in my predicted time, I expected to finish in 45 minutes and I finished in 47:19.
The bike took a lot longer than expected, though. The wind was CRAZY, yet people were flying by me. After the turn around, I didn’t think anyone was behind me. I thought they were going to cut me off! LOL. I had to get off the bike and stretch a couple of times, and then I kept on trucking. I did the bike in over 4 hours! EEP! I was expecting 3:30 at the most. This just goes to show I need more work on it.
During both the swim and the bike I contemplated dropping out. I was extremely discouraged. I didn’t let my head get the best of me, though.
The run was great and I felt fantastic! I finished it in 2:31:34. It was so nice to be able to run after getting off the bike. This was the first time in my life I have ever done a half-marathon.
All-in-all, it was a great experience and I can’t wait to do my next one.
It was the most mentally challenging thing I have ever done.
Unlike the marathon I did in Nov, I actually feel a sense of accomplishment completing this race. Even though I came in at 7:45:59, I am THRILLED!
I woke up at one am this morning, starving, so I ate some lasagna and went right back to sleep. 
This morning, the only things that hurt are my knees and my sunburn!
I did almost 8 hours of solid activity and I didn’t let my head take over and I FINISHED!!! WOOHOO!!! I am now a 70.3 finisher!!!
Now, I just need to get my arse on that bike and get a better time!
Feb
11
While the title of this post is about the marathon, the “meat” of it is about a friendship. One that happened so quickly, yet it so so.completely.genuine.
My “running buddy” that I will refer to as RB (not sure if she wants me to show her identity) and I haven’t even known each other for a year. After we met one another, we hit it off right away. She is really big into fitness and healthy eating, and obviously, so am I.
I generally don’t become such good friends with women so quickly, but with her it was almost immediate. I met her sometime in May, just a couple of weeks after I started training for the big event and she decided to do some of my runs with me. Once the miles increased, she started following my training schedule, as she planned on registering for one exactly a week after mine. We started running more and more together and combined our work outs, so we would work out together, pretty much every day. Later, she decided to register for the San Antonio marathon and forego the other one…
As time went on, during our runs, we would talk about how we couldn’t possibly run such long distances without once another and there is no way we would be able to run the marathon by ourselves. We had a plan and we were sticking to it.
1 1/2 months before the race, I had to stop training altogether, due to some knee issues that I blogged about last week. She pretty much did the last month and a half of training by herself.
A day before the marathon, we drove to San Antonio, ate our healthy snacks and we were there before we knew it. My brother sent me on an impossible mission, of finding an orange hat among other things. Later, we met my Mom and her friend later in the day and they took us out to eat at the Cracker Barrel. Of course, this wasn’t part of the plan, but what the heck. I ordered chicken and dumplings (which I haven’t eaten in years) and RB ordered a BLT, she doesn’t even like BLTs. :-/ What in the WORLD we were thinking?
The rest of the evening sort of went on as planned, except for the fact that my brother, who was also registered for the race, wasn’t answering his phone. We later found out, he partied in Mexico until the wee hours of the morning, and he only came in 15 minutes after me! Maybe that should be my strategy for next time. 
The morning of the marathon, things went as planned, we met up with Bro and we all started out together. RB and I were on a roll! At about mile 5, there was a dull pain in my knee and at mile the pain was excruciating. I kept slowing RB down, so I told her to go ahead. She felt awful about it, but I felt badly about holding her up.
We brought some anti-inflammatories with us, to help with the pain. I never take painkillers, so I decided to eat a Larabar immediately afterwards. Of course, I start choking, which slows me down some, and my knee pain never subsides.
As she chugged right along, I had to slow down. I watched her disappear among the people in the crowd. Of course, I realize that I have most of the snacks we packed for our journey. I felt so bad that all she had, was a bag of trail mix. I have the yummy stuff, like the dried mango. Obviously, at that time, there wasn’t anything I could do about it.
Once I hit mile 13, one of the elite runners sprinted by me, she was at mile 23 or 24. I was in shock that she was going that fast.
I saw some interesting things along the way…a guy was running backwards, a lady flew by me in the wheel chair, people were doing it in bare feet, a firefighter was doing it with all his equipment. Some people only had 1 leg, and others were wearing signs that were in honor or their deceased loved one.
I had to walk a lot more than I wanted, as the knee pain was excruciating. I got angry at one point and ripped my brace and the tape off, it wasn’t helping anyway. Later, at mile 17 or 18, I put the brace back on, to see if the pain would go away. At mile 22 or so, I started feeling light-headed, so I ate a few salt packets and immediately felt better. Interesting how that works.
Toward the end of the run, I saw a girl wearing my same shorts, I complimented her and kept on going. As I rounded the corner uphill, I saw the finish line, Mom, her friend, and Larry. I gave a big smile and a wave and I crossed the finish line, 32 minutes longer than predicted. There was a girl next to me, we crossed the finish line about the same time, she let out a cry and felt to the ground, sobbing. I asked her if she was okay, but I never received an answer.
I met up with RB, who finished in 4:27 and I told her I was never ever ever doing it again. HAH. I was ticked that I was in so much pain for almost the entire duration of the race. I was so angry when I finished. I decided, people that run marathons are nuts. That’s all there is to it. I vowed never to do another one.
RB and I talked a bit, met up with the family and headed home.
This is a sad time writing this blog, because RB is leaving tomorrow. She is going back to her hometown for another job. :-( We have become so close throughout our training, dog saving adventures and random parties that people ask if I am going to be okay. Of course I will be okay, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy to see her go. Sure, we will visit each other, but it isn’t as though we can call one another and ask if we wanna do some crazy work out at 4 in the morning or 11 at night. There aren’t many people who will do that, which is why I think we became such good friends, so quickly.
RB will leave, life will continue, but it definitely won’t be the same. It is crazy that I am saying this, because again, we haven’t even known each other for an entire year, yet. Good friends, like her are very hard to find. I am glad I had the pleasure of meeting her and we’ll just have to start planning trips and races in each other’s hometowns. IN FACT, she is thinking about participating in the Sprint-tri here, in Galveston, April 9th, which is the same weekend I will be doing the Ironman 70.3.
I wish RB good luck and all the joy and happiness in the future, I will miss her greatly, but I know that our friendship, even though it has been brief, will last a life time. I couldn’t ask for a better, more genuine person in my life.
Thanks for your inspiration, RB. You’re the BEST!!
Thank you, Bro for talking me into doing the marathon, I promise, we will do another one. 
Jan
28
I am not sure if I previously posted anything about my knee pain, but it was getting to the point to where I couldn’t even run 1 1/2 miles without experiencing excruciating knee pain behind my knee cap. I decided to wait until the first of the year to go to the Ortho. I waited until the first of the year, because I have a high deductible and I didn’t want to start paying towards it at the end of the year.
I went to the Ortho and to make a long story short, I wasn’t too happy with him. He suggested pain-killers, which I told him I was not going to take and he didn’t want to send me in for an MRI. I was CERTAIN I needed one to figure out the problem. He then referred me to a physical therapist. I left in a huff.
On the way home, I was venting to Mom and the Ortho office called me. They informed me that the doctor decided to send me to a different PT. He wanted me to go to the Sports Medicine Clinic at the St. John Christus place about 25 miles away from home, at least 3 times a week for 1 month, and we would evaluate my progress at that time. This frightened me, a lot, as each PT appointment costs $225 and my deductible is in the thousands. :-/
I arrived the morning of my appointment and I spent well over 2 1/2 hours there, I left extremely happy. I wanted to hug everyone in the entire clinic. This should say a lot, since I am not a touchy person, at all.
My PT did several tests on me, come to find out, I have a small muscle on the side of my knee that is extremely weak, even though it is small, it is extremely important for endurance activities. The pain, in a nut shell, came from my nerves behind my knee cap, screaming in pain, due to my other muscles trying to overcompensate for that one tiny pain in the ass muscle.
The PT provided me with several exercises and stretches to help with the pain, which I have done religiously. I have no exercise restrictions what so ever I was even told that there was no reason to go back to them unless the pain gets worse or another one arises.
Oh, and she informed me that I need to start getting massages once a month or so, to work out the knots in my hamstrings. Doctor’s orders! I foresee many massages in my future. Rough life, don’t ya think?
There is an Ironman 70.3, in Galveston on April 10th, 2011.
Let the training begin… 
Oct
22
Top of the mornin’ to ya!
At this time, I have run over 350 miles, I have been through 3 different pairs of shoes and I am hoping that I don’t have any knee pain on the day of the marathon. I have been having some knee pain here and there. I am hoping it doesn’t hinder my training/races.
Throughout my training, many people have asked me questions. These questions range from how far is a marathon to what I eat everyday to continue the training process. Others joke about my easy 50 mile run each morning…
Let me begin by answering the main question first.
How far is a marathon?: A marathon is 26.2 miles.
How did they come up with that distance?: Good Question!! There is some history to it.
Do you really think you’ll be able to run that far?: I most certainly KNOW I will be able to complete the marathon.
Why are you doing it?: Why not? Not only is the training good for my exercise regimen, but it also building my confidence, determination and I am achieving a goal!!
Are you going to win?: Umm, certainly not. Many people have trained for marathons for years and can complete them in 2.5 hours or less… I am definitely not in that category. I am not into it to win, I am in it to do something that I have never done before and I am going to have fun doing it.
Don’t you get bored running all that way without music?: Nope, I don’t. I have the most awesome running buddy, so we pretty much chit-chat throughout the run. If she isn’t able to run with me, then it is a great opportunity to clear my head and just run.
What do you eat throughout the training and/or before runs?: I have found a meal plan/hydration plan that works best for me. This, of course, does not mean it will work for everyone.
I would like to begin by saying I try to “eat clean” as much as I can. This means I am eating foods that are not processed. My daily diet pretty much involves this:
First thing in the morning, I drink a home-made green drink. My green drinks ALWAYS include organic kale and other organic dark green leafy veggies. I try to vary the veggies, though to vary the nutrients in my body. From my research, radishes are also great. I don’t make the green drink “people friendly.” I drink it for the nutrients and that’s pretty much it. If you want to make yours more people friendly, you can add organic fruit.
I eat fruit every morning and all morning. I also eat Lara bars, unsalted, organic nut/fruit mixes and homemade oatmeal cookies with minimal ingredients as snacks. There, of course, are also other things that have minimal ingredients and are not processed foods that I add into my diet as well. But I am just sharing a basic diet plan of what I eat during the day to show how I choose my food.
For lunch, I eat something with free-range meat in it with a good salad made with organic veggies.
The same pretty much goes for dinner, too.
I read the ingredients in everything from ketchup, to salad dressing, to BBQ sauce to ensure that I am not consuming High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Gluten or any of those other ingredients that I can’t pronounce.
The more simple the ingredients, the better. It’s as easy as that.
Throughout training, hydration is extremely important. I have made a personal decision to not use any of those sugary sports drinks. I have chosen to go with pure coconut water and during my 22.5 mile run, it definitely helped me. As the runs get longer, I pack dried fruit in my hydration belt, drink a lot of coconut water and regular water and I am good to go!
The coconut water I chose to drink actually has more potassium and electrolytes than the commercial sports drinks.
I read somewhere and I found it to be true that if you stick with the products on the walls of the grocery store and limit your time/money buying food items in the aisles, your choices will already be a “cleaner” choice.
This weekend I am heading to Dallas to take part in the Muddy Buddy with a good friend of mine, this will be a great time to get some marathon training in and to have extra fun while doing it! Our team name is Princess’ Pittyful Servants and we are dressing up like maids. My team mate has a sweet pittie girl whose name is Princess. Princess was dumped in a dirt lot and was found by a wonderful person who fostered her until she found her furever home.
Until next time, enjoy the great outdoors!!!
Sep
29
Aug
20
Good Afternoon Folks,
How are you on this fine day? I am sorry it has been a while since I posted, but I have been busy training for my marathon and racing.
I upping my mileage and things have been going well. I am still injury free and the long runs are…well, they are long.
My first 10K was the Galveston SeaWalk and Run Race. It was a month or so ago, I don’t remember my time exactly, but I was definitely under an hour.
August 14th I participated in the Sand Crab 10K race and it was SO much fun, especially because it was at night and in the sand. This was my 10K race ever, and I won 6th place in my age group, too. If I would have done it 3 months later, I would have gotten 3rd place in my age group. I completed the race in 56.21 and I am extremely happy about that time.
Last week, I FINALLY purchased my first pair of Vibrams Five Finger shoes. My co-worker lovingly calls them our disgusting ”feety” shoes. My running buddy and I love our feety shoes. We wear them just about everywhere, except to run in them for long distances. With the feety shoes, one should really start out slowly due to the fact that conventional shoes provide more cushion, support and stability. I found an informative article on them.
So, on to the main reason for my post. A friend of mine asked me to do a question/answer session on my blog. As you know I haven’t been keeping up with the blogging, I figured it would be a great way to get back into it.
Her question to me was, “how do you keep yourself motivated to exercise.”
Many times I answer that it is like doing laundry or doing the dishes. We don’t like to do it, but it MUST be done. Exercise is extremely important for your quality of life and it really MUST be done.
For example, heavy weight lifting can increase bone density, therefore, it decreases for chances of getting osteoporosis among other things. There are SO many benefits to exercise there is really no reason NOT to do it. Not only are there a significant amount of health benefits, that is, of course if the exercises are performed safely and you get the okay from your doctor, but you will also feel better about yourself and you will just feel better in general.
Here is a published peer review journal article on this very same topic.
If you are discouraged from exercise because you are overweight or obese, or you just want to feel better about yourself; my question to you is how badly do you want it? It is up to you.
For me, exercise is not an option. It is a requirement. Period. When I set my alarm the night before an early morning run or exercise session, I am not setting my alarm to “think” about working out or running. I have the mindset of the fact that I am going to do it, it will get done and then I won’t have to worry about it for the rest of the day.
My motivation also stems from the fact that I registered for a marathon; it is less than three months away, so I had better get my heiney moving.
If you think it will motivate you to participate in some 5ks here and there, then DO IT! You don’t have to win, just get out there and run/walk it. Meet new people and sign up for more. I promise, it gets addicting. The reason it is addicting is because it is FUN!
So come on! What are you waiting for, Christmas??
Seriously, though…how badly do you want it? It is solely in YOUR hands.
May
28
This is my destination:
*Note – I can not take credit for this photo. Once I upload mine, I will delete this one.
Good Afternoon my friends,
I am sorry it has been a while since I wrote last, but things have been busy at work so I haven’t been able to log in and blog about my first couple weeks of training for my marathon.
I haven’t been following my training plan as written, but I am still running, cross-training and exercising.
Destination Flagship: please let me explain what that means. The Flagship Hotel is a hotel that is actually sitting above the waters in Gulf of Mexico, unfortunately, the hotel is no longer accessible due to Hurricane Ike. The ramp leading to the hotel is no more. There were actually cars packed in the parking lot of the hotel during the storm and they have not yet been recovered. People have somehow managed to get into the hotel and graffiti.
I run everyday after work and I start at the Flagship. I either head West or East from there. So, when I turn around and I am halfway through my run I see the Flagship. That, my friends, is my destination. Clever, I know.
May 17th I ran 4.8 miles in 37 minutes.
Sadly, the rest of the week was spent preparing for my Family Reunion Trip to Dallas/Ft. Worth so I didn’t get much running in that week.
Although, Thursday night I went to Sun and Ski Sports, the nearest vendor to Galveston that sells Vibram 5 Finger shoes. I loved them. Absolutely LOVED them, but Sun and Ski Sports didn’t have them in my size. I plan on purchasing them one day in the near future.
Monday May 24th: I ran 5 miles straight without stopping. I began to feel some knee pain, so I hope my new shoes will help with that. I ordered Brooks running shoes from HolaBird Sports.
Wednesday May 26th: I ran 3.6 miles in 29.37 minutes, without knee pain. I used the Jeff Galloway, walk/run method of a 7 minute jog/1 minute walk suggestion. The brisk walk is enough time to give my muscles some rest, to recover and to amp up for the next 7 minutes.
Tonight will be 40-50 minutes using the Jeff Galloway 7:1 method. It will be hot and humid, so I have been drinking water all day to prevent from becomming dehydrated.
Tomorrow we don’t have a soccer game, so it will be my real “off” day, which will be nice, because I have two parties to attend, one is a pool party!
Until next time! Exercise safely and have fun!
May
07
Friday April 30th I ran 4 miles.
Saturday’s soccer game was fun and we tied 2 to 2. I was a tad disappointed because I almost scored! I was on the right side, I am left footed, so I didn’t have as much control over where the ball went. If I would have moved ~3inches forward, the ball would have gone into the net and we would have won 4 to 2. Oh well, it was still a fun game.
Sunday was a fun-filled day of surfing!
This pic was taken by yours truly while surfing the wave. Talented, eh?
Monday was topped off by doing a 4.6 mile run.
Wednesday I forgot my running shoes and instead of running, I decided to celebrate Cinco De Mayo.
Tonight after work, I plan on running 5 miles. We shall see.
Have a great weekend and enjoy the outdoors!
Apr
30
Last week was a dud.
Friday 16th: I rode my bike for 30 minutes on Friday morning and I ran about 4 miles in 36 minutes.
Saturday, April 17thI played a soccer game and pulled my right quad. They put me on the right side as a defender and I went to try and boot the ball. BIG MISTAKE. Ouch.
The rest of last week was spent chillaxin’ and icing my quad. I didn’t want to do anything that would further injure my thigh muscle.
The triathlon was bittersweet for me. Since it was the Olympic distance tri, it is actually a USAT registered race! I was super excited about that, because the triathlon I particpated in last year was a sprint and not registered.
What was disappointing about it, even though I completed the race, I still have not completed a full triathlon. Why? You ask…the swim was canceled due to unsafe water current conditions. 
The .93 mile swim was no longer.
For the bike, they took us row by row and started us off 3 seconds apart. This caused the participants to cluster up in the “mounting area.” The 24.8 ride on the West End of the island was gorgeous, but brutal. I only rode my bike 2 times before that day, so it was a challenge.
Upon arriving at my transition area for the run, my soccer teammate, Lisa, was there and we decided to do the 6.2 run together. This made the time go by much faster! We walked at every drink station, so we didn’t spill all over ourselves and ran the rest of the way! Towards the end, my quad started giving me pain so I walked and Lisa went on her merry way. She had a flight to catch!
I came to the finish line strong a hard, it was a celebration, let me tell ya. I was ready to be done after 2 hours and 23 minutes for activity. I decided to finish with a bang!
Right after this was taken, I thought I was going to throw up.
Sunday, April 25th I took the day off.
Monday, April 26th and Wednesday April 27th I ran 4 miles. Tuesday and Thursday this week I took off.
Tonight, April 30th, I plan on running 4 more miles and tomorrow is our soccer game!
Until next time…Exercise safely and have fun!
