I walked out... I quit, and that's just fine.

I've had more stories of success than failure but that doesn't make walking out of a race any easier. I'd love to say I got hurt or something incredible happened but that would be lying and I always keep it real. So why did I walk out? 

This morning I woke up and felt ill to my stomach. Whatever virus my son had definitely got me but as usual, us moms don't just fall with viruses. They linger because our bodies are always worried about taking care of others. So instead of just catching the virus, I've been playing with it. I'm nauseous, I'm not. I'm nauseous, I dry heave, I'm fine. This has been going on since yesterday. I woke up this morning and felt so sick, I couldn't have a good breakfast. That was probably when I should have called this quits but I wanted to give it 100% and have no regrets. I got to the race site and spent a good 30 minutes in the car thinking about going home. My second opportunity to go home. I ignored it and kept on. Probably not my smartest choice but I wanted to try.

My wave went into the water at 7:25 and I was averaging it would take me between 45-50 minutes. I'm not a fast swimmer so that was a decent average for me. Then came the dry heaving. I almost  got sick 5 times. I kept going and completed the swim somehow but with a lengthy time of 1:04. As I got out of the water, the rain let on with a vengeance. I could barely see.

I got to my bike, got my things on and started to drag towards the bike course under the relentless rain and tried to eat something. No luck. I couldn't do it. Then I prayed. I asked God for a sign and just as I was about to get on my bike, I see a young man coming back and he looks at me and tells me "It's miserable out there, slick and wet and it's going to be a hell of a long ride." I asked "You went out?" to which he said "Yes, 10 miles and I came back. I have kids at home and I'm not willing to have an accident. I've done many of these races and there's no shame in quitting. Sometimes you gotta know when it's not your day". It was my sign. It was not my day. Thank you God.

So in 12 weeks, I did not miss a training, I was prepared and ready. It was a most difficult decision to abandon something I had been working towards for 12 weeks but sitting here having saltines and Sprite and feeling sick, it was the right decision today. I could not have gone 56 miles and 13.1 without food. So I walked out. As simple as that. No injury, no crash, no wonderful story to decorate the fact that I quit. I chose to quit the race, not my healthy lifestyle. One race does not define me. There will be more races but there's only one me to take care of my family and I chose me today. I chose me feeling okay and not getting hurt. That's a good choice. And I tried. Sometimes, that's the best you can do. Next time, things will go better. I will try again. It's all good.    

2 days?! OH CRAP!

It's been exactly one month since my last post. I opted to post a quick recap with visuals to make it interesting and to keep you from yawning although you never yawn when you read my posts, right?! Never mind, don't answer that. Here goes...

My beautiful bike....  How I love thee!

I lost count of how many miles I have done on my bike in the last month. It's a lot and we're close now. Real close. If I had to leave my house because it was on fire, and I knew my children were safe outside, I think I might go back in and get Max. (Yes, after the past month, I named him.)

I love this pic because it represents the hundreds of laps in the pool.

Swimming is BORING. The kind of boring that has you inventing weird sh** and contraptions in your head. It's so monotonous, that after inventing all these things, you even start to think that your inventions can be bigger than the "Chia Pet", "Pet Rock" and "Snuggie". Once you get out of the pool and go home, you forget whatever the heck you were going to make millions off of and you get back to your real life. That being said, I haven't lost my power to wonder and so I keep going forward.

Run, run run!

My last long run was October 26, 14 days from the tri. Since having done a full marathon back in February 2014, my mentality has changed a bit and 10 miles doesn't feel quite so long now. Also, I've never been a fast runner and I have made peace with that but I can maintain a decent pace endlessly which helps me do long runs and not really feel them until I hit +18 miles. So these shorter long runs have been nice and I always look at my feet and thank God for the ability to do these things in the first place and for the health to achieve my goals.  

Or maybe it's stupidity? No, I know the answer, it's strength shining through!

This brings us to tapering...

My current stream of consciousness on any given day now... Check the weather forecast. I'm so tired. I really need to work out more. I'm not tired, I'm completely out of shape. Check the weather forecast. This is what happens when you taper. People are full of it, they say I should taper and now I am out of shape and not ready for my race. I'm so glad I tapered. I feel so strong, wait, why does my ankle hurt? Check the weather forecast. Oh, never mind, it's ok. What the h?! Why does my knee hurt? Did I mess up my knee just days before the race? Oh, never mind, it's ok. Check the weather forecast. My neck is sore. I can't bike 56 miles with a sore kneck. How is it sore, I haven't done anything to make it so.. Oh never mind, it's ok. Check the weather forecast. I need to sleep. I can't sleep. I need sleep, why can't I sleep? Check the weather forecast. Tapering sucks. My husband is the best. Why is he so annoying? I love him. I love my kids. Man, my kids are annoying. Did I over spoil them? Check the weather forecast.

You get it right? I'm completely climbing the walls and crazy! I check the weather forecast over and over and weird pains come and go as your body repairs you and gets you ready for the big day. It still sucks! Wait, I haven't checked the weather forecast in the past hour.  Be right back...

     

Um, I mentioned that I'm losing it these days right?!

TAPERING SUCKS!

I've checked at least 50 times this week, I kid you NOT! I need help.

Guess what day my race is? If you said Sunday, ding ding ding, you're right!  

It's nature's way of showing me she's the BOSS!

It's ok, I respect and keep hoping it gets better in the next 2 days.

You're thinking what in the world does a toilet have to do with this... OH CRAP is right!

So to make things interesting because things in my life usually are, my son got a stomach virus yesterday, Thursday. 3 days before my race. We have spent 2 days near the toilet. It's his first time so he's not happy. As for me, it means a lot of cleaning and staying very close to the toilet. Today he looks at me and asks if I have it. I said "No, mommy is ok". His response? "You'll have it tomorrow!". My thoughts - I REALLY HOPE I DON'T! But in the absolute worst case possible scenario that I wake up tomorrow and need to stay close to a toilet for two days, I will simply look for the next half iron tri and sign up for it because I am damn ready and it just means I need to train a little longer. It happened last year when I was going to do my first full and I had to reschedule for 2 months later. Postponing or rescheduling does not mean you failed. Giving up means you failed and I am nowhere near doing that. Postponing or rescheduling simply means that life got in the way as it does in the lives of busy moms. I wouldn't have it any other way. Being a mom rocks!

GO MOMMYATHLONS!

Maybe. Unless I'm in a bathroom for the next 2 days. 

But, IT'S ALL GOOD!

It's going to take how long?!?!?!?!

Half Iron Man triathlon training is no joke! I've been swimming my arms off, running my butt off and cycling my legs off! The other day, on a 60 mile cycle ride, it hit me that that entire race would take me between 6 hours (hopeful) to 7 hours (realistic). That's a darn long race! At the same time, my opinion has shifted from "what the heck was I thinking when I signed up for this?" to "I can't believe I'm going to finish this!!!". Ahhhhhhhh, training, I love this part the most for it's during training where you find your confidence and power. So damn cool! 

50 mile cycle ride.

10 mile run the day before my 60 mile ride.

60 mile cycle ride.

So how goes it?????

It's been many months since my last post. So a very fast update.

Back then, I was training for my first triathlon in May. "How did it go"? It didn't. My husband, kids and I went to Washington DC mid April for a family vacation and I came back sick as a dog! This pretty much stopped my training as I couldn't exercise. You kind of have to be able to breathe to exercise and since I got hit with the worst sinus infection I have ever had, I had to listen to my body and postpone my triathlon for next year. This results in the craziness that I am in right now because I am still training for my first half Iron Man distance triathlon in November which will now end up being my first triathlon...... This seems like a stupid idea and it pretty much is, but since it's the cards that life dealt me, I'm playing them. I would like to add, that I am playing them quite well since I have been training hard and feeling really great and almost ready! 8 weeks to go. The mind and the power of "I CAN" is a most impressive thing.

So back to the update, Washington DC. It was worth the cold/sinus infection. We had a magical time as evidenced in this picture. It was just what we needed after several difficult weeks.

The summer came and went. Don't ask me where it went, I just know that I dedicated myself to my kids hence my disappearing act from the blog. We went to the beach countless times, hung out at the pool, they took swimming lessons, we saw so many movies I lost count and we put away the electronic devices which is so important to do sometimes. 

School started and off they went. I volunteered my time at their school and I am coaching the cross country team - WAY FUN!!! I'm in the process of becoming a substitute teacher AND I also got a spinning instructor certification. I'm looking into teaching SPIN as well!  

Pretty cool huh?

That pretty much brings us up to date quite quickly and moving forward as life always does, thankfully.

Half Iron Man Tri, I'm on my way! See you November!

My partners in crime and training! :-)

How far YOU CAN go and why Mommyathlon began...

I've been MIA a bit and there's reason behind it.  My mom suffers from a debilitating disease and we are having a rough patch. I won't bore you all with details as that's not the point of this post. This is just the back story of where I am right now and why yesterday was so important to me. 

This post is about how YOU can change and make yourself stronger. Yes, YOU who is sitting there wondering if you can do it, or if you're feeling lost and like you've let yourself go. YOU, the mother who puts everyone first and leaves herself on the back burner feeling less herself than she should. I hadn't posted anything motivational in a while, wrapped up in chores and things that need to be done and yesterday a moment with my kids reminded me to remind those of you out there that need a few words of reassurance to see that anyone can get their butt on track. I was reminded of how Mommyathlon started. It was me against myself and how to turn motherhood into something stronger than it already was. I needed to balance time for myself, my health and my family.

Yesterday, in the midst of a very difficult afternoon with my mom, screaming children, homework to be checked, dinner to be made and all other things we moms do from the minute we pick up our kids to the minute we put them to sleep, I felt like I was going to crack. You all know the feeling. It's one of those "I can't take this anymore". Instead, I screamed (yes, I am human and I do scream at my kids once in a while) "PUT YOUR SNEAKERS ON!!!" They both ran and put them on and we walked to the lake that is near my house. I was starting to feel like I couldn't breathe and I needed to get outside. It was a gorgeous day and I needed to be a part of it, not just doing things rushing through it. 

I got outside and immediately started to feel better. There was a slightly cool wind blowing and the kids were finally not screaming at each other. They were happy to be outside as I was. On the way there, speaking to my daughter, we turned a corner and she smirked and said "Remember?" I had no clue what she was talking about. I said "Remember what?" She answered "MOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM" as if saying DUH you dumbass!!!!! I stared at her blankly and she said "Remember that's where you couldn't go any further!!!!" I smiled and laughed and replied "That's right!!" She was talking about the first time I had laced up and went running with her. It was about 2 years ago and she had joined cross country. I was horribly out of shape and overweight. My son was one year old and the pregnancy had taken it's toll on me physically and I just had not been able to jump back into a workout regimen. My daughter had asked me to go out with her to the lake and I had agreed and told her that I missed working out and I needed to start doing something so I was going to try to jog there. OH MAN, was I in for a shock!

I had laced up, put my son in his jogger and with my daughter at my side, we set out for "a run" that day way over 2 years ago. I lasted about a quarter mile before I looked at her through teary eyes and said "Baby, I can't do any more". She looked at me and said what every good daughter would say to a mom that was in a rut, "You did good Mom, next time you can go farther". We walked to the lake and played and had a great time. We walked back. I was grateful for my kids and although I didn't like where I was, I was about to change. I decided that I was going to make time for myself. A few days later I signed up for my first half marathon and told my husband I was going to find myself again. Hubs is an amazing man and told me to go for it but to really train for it. Since he's a runner, he didn't want me to fail and feel worse. I told him that I was doing it and I would prepare for it. I did and I changed.  

Yesterday, it was different. We passed that corner. It's still the same corner, a tree that was much smaller still stands there now taller and stronger. Sort of like me. It's the corner I have passed hundreds of times while training for all my half marathons and a full. I never stop at that corner because I can easily run past it. That corner is insignificant now. It used to be a symbol. Every time I ran past it, I knew I was better and going further. It took months for me to get over that corner trauma. Every time I got to it, I insulted it. I know that sounds incredibly ridiculous but there was such great satisfaction in telling that corner to screw off every time I ran past it. Eventually as the miles piled on, that corner crept away further and further to where it belonged and I forgot about it. I forgot it so much, that my daughter had to remind me of it. That was the corner that made me feel broken that day long ago and now it was just part of my running trail.  

So the purpose of this post is to remind YOU (you know who you are standing there feeling broken and like something is missing) that it's not so hard really. It's perfectly doable and attainable, but you do have to work for it. Don't think about it, go get it! Stop thinking about how you don't have the time and make the time. Let the words "I can't" disappear from your vocabulary as you find the ways YOU CAN. 

As I face a difficult time in my life right now, I wondered if my triathlon training (first one in May) would get in the way or if I would not be able to find the time. Would I make excuses again? Would I let the words "I can't" come back into my life?

HELL NO! I'm proud to say that I haven't missed a workout. I wake up at 5am when I have to but I get it done. During my swims, runs or cycling, I mesh with the athlete in me. It's my time to get stronger. It's my time to let out the fears, the frustrations, the worries and to put them behind me as I face life. 

And that, my friends, is how Mommyathlon began. A mom who found her way to make all aspects of her life work together without placing herself on a back burner. I am a mom, a daughter, a wife, a runner, an aunt, a sister, an athlete, a Mommyathlon. Life's struggles don't get in the way. They don't stop me. I own them and I deal with them and in between all that, I make time for me and my health. YOU CAN too!

THE CORNER

The beauty in my life.

These two individuals define who I am, but I learned that doesn't mean I lose myself.

BALANCE.

Triathlon training begins...

Heated pool my @$$!!!

Sorry. I had to get that out! Apart from that, I loved every single minute of it! I was dreading swimming but I found it to be really relaxing and quiet. Us moms need some quiet time and this is a great way to get it. I was worried I wouldn't like the swimming training aspect and I found that it's going to be a lot better than I anticipated.

And so begins my triathlon training!

Sarasota Half Marathon Results

So one week after doing the Oleta trails, I was back at it with the Sarasota Half Marathon. This was the last marathon from the Storm Series and boy oh boy, did I have to pull strength from every ounce of my being to get through this race. As luck would have it (and I mean that sarcastically), my daughter had a special field trip to Disney leaving the Saturday before the race at 3am from Miami. We arrived to Disney at 8am, spent 10 hours in the park and left back to Miami at 6pm. The a/c on the bus broke and we hit massive traffic making our return trip 6 hours in a steamy sauna bus. BRUTAL! Needless to say, I was a bit dehydrated and plenty exhausted. We arrived home at 12:30am race day. Yes, you read correctly. My feet were so achy! They were still sore from the trail run the week before and then Disney 10 hours. Brilliant Michelle, way to go to prepare for a half I thought but then remembered my daughter laughing on the bus having a blast and it was somehow worth the soreness! I napped from 12:30am to 1:30am, took a shower and got in the car at 2:30am to drive to Sarasota. Luckily, my crazy husband and one of my best friends went along. Hubs drove there so I could nap along the way. We arrived by 6am, got our packets, got ready and began the race. Hubs felt good and took off in search of his PR, which he got. I felt sick and tired and nauseous but somewhere around mile 5, I started to feel great and happy that I was ending the series and I had been able to do it. I just had to carry myself 8 more miles. 

And I did it. I went on for 8 more miles, crossed, got my medals, got my sense of closure with the series and walked away real happy knowing I wasn't racing again until May. All I have to do now is get ready for my first triathlon (gulp).

As soon as we finished our race, we went to the local 7-11, got slurpees, donuts (not my usual breakfast but I was so exhausted at this point, that it seemed like a great idea!) and headed back to Miami. I was so happy to get home and relax. As you can imagine, that night I slept like a baby!!

It's been a heck of a running season for me and I took on way too much but I learned a  lot along the way. I also learned to pick and choose my races so I can prepare better for them.  As much fun as it was to race all these different courses, I am a bit raced out and need a break! Tri training here I come!

  

My awesome friend, who did the crazy drive to Sarasota and back again, also PR'd!

Congrats to her and the hubs on their PR's!!!

Oleta Diva Trail Race Results

My first trail race and all I have to say is this S#$% is HARD! I went in thinking it was going to be a new experience and it really was. New and very challenging, trail racing is on the other opposite end from road racing. I found myself loving the adventure but I also found myself rolling ankles all over the place and starting to get one mega blister which was enough for me to call it quits at the 5K. I had originally signed up for the 10K but it wasn't going to happen because the blister was telling me to bow out at 3.1 miles and I always listen to my body, especially when I have one more race next Sunday to complete the Florida Storm Series.

Trail racing means you pay attention every second of every minute. You don't jam to music and you don't really participate in any type of intense conversation. You look down and PAY ATTENTION! There are thousands of rocks, ups, downs, roots and other things ready to cause you to trip and soar. There was one point where my right foot hit something and I felt myself flying thinking "OH CRAP". As I landed and caught my balance, luckily on both feet, both my friends were staring at me. They had heard and expected to see me sprawled out on the floor. I got lucky! That being said, we had a blast and then went to Hollywood to have a delicious breakfast!     

We decided to do the camouflage thing - it was fun!

That top pic with the girl in the crown is my friend Chrissie who 

managed to finish the 10K AND win 2nd overall in the 10K!  

This is a cool shot of my two friends and me running. I'm the last one behind but

it really catches the type of terrain and slopes we ran through. Definitely doing this again!

Miami Beach Half Marathon Results

Some races you race, others you struggle, others you attack and others you just flat out enjoy and take it easy. We chose the latter. I did my first full 2 weeks ago, hubs did a 50 miler last week-end and my friend did the glass slipper challenge last week-end. This was a recovery race and we all had some extra time to take pics of the beautiful views and to just enjoy it without any pressure from our Garmins. It was a beautiful day, nice weather and this was my 4th race from the Storm Series. One more to go!

  

Recovery week after the full marathon

So I would love to set a great example and tell you all that I ate healthy, did several recovery runs and was the example of healthy all week... That would be a big lie! Last Sunday, after the full marathon, I had a Chili's burger and some cookie dessert with extra hot fudge. As if that wasn't enough, I went ahead and got a slurpee on the way home because come on folks, slurpees make everything better! Maybe I am the only person that shares this viewpoint. I have been very open about my slurpee addiction. Don't judge, I make no apologies, hahaha.

Monday through Sunday, my diet included healthy things and not so healthy things. A few more slurpees and my ultimate dining treat, Pizza! Pepperoni pizza actually and I enjoyed every bite.

So it went with the week after the full. I have seen people that continue their training exactly as they did pre-full but I found out that after months of being good, I really enjoyed a crazy, eat anything, do nothing vacation. The only exercises I continued were those of the Mommyathlon ab challenge. I had told myself throughout the months of long crazy mileage that I would treat myself to a week break and it was wonderful and something I will repeat because I found that I woke up today with my new plan set in motion and my diet as healthy as can be.

I went back to Insanity, ran two miles did some ab-work even though it was a challenge rest day and I feel fabulous! Slurpees and pizza are now limited to once a week (cheat meal) and this Mommyathlon is back on track with training. My new goal is a triathlon I am registered for in May. The biggest wall I am facing is swimming - I am no Dory! I'm not good at it and I don't even enjoy it so this will pose a very new challenge for me. I've learned something about myself in the last two years though, I like challenging myself and it keeps life interesting and fun so bring the swimming on! As for the biking aspect, I was a biker way before I was a runner so it will be really great to get back on my saddle and see what these stronger legs are capable of.

This Sunday I am running in the Miami Beach half marathon which is the fourth race in the Storm Series. I'm almost done with all 5. I had thought about racing hard but it is going to be very hot so I think I'm just laying low, having a good race and enjoying every smile for this one (my new motto from a facebook friend). I look forward to my cheat meal that day!

IT'S TIME TO TRI LIKE A MOTHER!!!!

Fort Lauderdale 26.2 Marathon Review - My (first) date with 26.2

After about 30 weeks of training, I found myself heading out to Ft. Lauderdale last Saturday to finally go on my date with 26.2. I was nervous but in a very good way. The type of nerves you have when you feel very ready and want to get started. I had trained incessantly. I had done the long runs. I had spent countless mornings waking up at the crack of dawn to get those 20+ mile runs under my belt. I had been careful and not overdone it to avoid injury. The only thing I was a little worried about was that I had done Ragnar the week-end before and I wondered if my legs were still a bit tired from it. The race would let me know if I had taken on too much this week.

Leaving our house, I took a pic of where I would be placing my 26.2 after the race.

We got to Ft. Lauderdale and went straight to the expo. Ok, we made a pit stop at a nearby 7-11.
You already know of my slurpee addiction. Don't judge, I was nervous and needed to hydrate, lol.

Here I am walking into the expo. For those wondering, hubs is taking all these pics. He was my support crew. :-)

I don't know what this turtle was doing here but it was cute and everyone was taking this pic and I thought "why not?!"

READY!

As with all good stories, you need some bad to up the good. So far, it is all good. I'm ready, I'm feeling great, the expo went well, I got my bib and my slurpee. It was a good one too, not one of those that's all watered down. So basically, the day is going great, then we get to our room.

This picture makes the room look normal right? Well, this has got to be the most disgusting room my husband and I have ever stayed at. I won't go into details but I'll let you know that I showered with Crocs that night and desperately tried not to touch anything anywhere. 2 roaches didn't help me feel more comfortable. They paid a price for creeping out from wherever they came from. I'm a fairly easy going person and decided that this was not going to ruin our stay. So let's move on to something a lot more enjoyable, DINNER!

We headed off to Carrabba's restaurant. There were about 20 things I wanted to eat that involved cream sauces and a gorgeous chocolate dessert I saw floating around on serving trays. Instead, I opted for grilled salmon with mashed potatoes and a side of angel hair with very light dressing. No alcohol and lots and lots of water. Pre-race meal, CHECK!

Two of my good running buddies met up with us as well for their pre-race meal. They were tackling their
second half (which I am happy to say they pr'd  by 12 minutes the next day).

We head back to our "hotel". I get grossed out just thinking about it but it was 8pm and I needed to relax and get ready for the following morning. My friend Pedro and running partner shows up and we're talking race talk and he divulges some information - he had beer and some weird lobster nachos for dinner... Needless to say I wasn't very happy about that and told him that wasn't a very good idea. He is more worried that he never did the long mile runs. I'm a bit worried too but the only way to move is forward now.

The night before.

I've seen many runners do this and I was so glad I did the next morning. I laid out everything I needed and went to bed. 

Ok, let me correct what I just wrote as a caption.  I tried to go to bed. Wouldn't you guess it, there was a railway that felt as if it was about 20 feet from our room. A roaring diesel engine swept by. I looked at my husband and told him "This is now officially the grossest and worst place we have EVER stayed at". I was so upset thinking I would not be able to sleep with that sound. I kept complaining and looking for our toilet paper (we always take our own) so I could make fake ear plugs for my ears. I was nervous and upset and all of a sudden, my husband came to my rescue as he pulled out ear plugs from his bag. These are the benefits of being married to a tri-athlete. I told him that I was more in love with him that moment than ever! We had a good laugh and he reminded me that I needed to rest. I was very wired so we pulled out the laptop and watched an episode of Breaking Bad - not your average rest material but we love the show and it did the trick. It got my mind off the race. 45 minutes later, I plugged my ears and finally got some sleep but not before another train roared by. I went to sleep hoping that a roach would not crawl on me and that I would be able to sleep.

My wake up time was 4am but of course, I opened my eyes at 3:15 and there was no going back to bed. I analyzed that I went to bed at 10:30 which gave me about 5 solid hours of sleep. The night before I had gotten 8 1/2 solid hours so I felt good. I envisioned crossing the finish line. I envisioned the pain and discomfort and getting through it. I reminded myself that I needed to keep fueling throughout so I wouldn't bonk. I went over all the details I could think of until I heard the alarm ring at 4am. This was it.

My husband went to toast our waffles (we take our regular breakfast with us for races) and of course, this classy hotel had a locked lobby that he couldn't get into. Somehow he convinced the lady inside that we desperately needed waffles and she was nice enough to toast them for us. We ate, we got ready and we were going to ask for late check out to come back and shower when we realized we rather stay dirty and sweaty after the race and just go home than to ever come into this room ever again. Yes, it was that bad!

So off to the race we went. My friend Pedro was waiting outside our room and we got into the car. We were both nervous and anxious. We got to the race start and as usual I had to go find the port o potty - TMI? Sorry! RAGNAR last week-end has turned me into a port o potty pro. I'm not sure if that is something to be proud of or something I should not disclose. I haven't decided. For those easily grossed out, I apologize. For others that want pointers, just ask! Ok, wait, the race start, I got distracted, hehehe.

We woke up to 53 degree weather! In all the weeks I had been training, I had not had one cool weather run.
I was deliriously happy. I layered up in several throw away shirts that my husband gave to me so I could take them
off as I got hot. This picture is right when the gun went off. The action is about to begin. Hello 26.2! We finally meet! 

Here is my briefest recollection of what each mile was like:

Mile 1- This is awesome. I can't believe we are doing this. 

Mile 2- Wow, we are going fast. I'm so grateful the weather is cold. BEST DAY EVER!

Mile 3- WOOHOO 5K done! 

Mile 4- Hey, did I just get close to my PR on a 5K?! DAMN, I was so ready for this race, I feel great. I need to eat something soon.

Mile 5- Start taking Bloks in. Start fueling your body so you don't bonk. 21 to go. You got this. 

Mile 6- 10K DONE! I'm so glad they have water stops often. Keep sipping each one. Hydrate!

Mile 7- WOW, we're set for a 4:45 time. I wonder if we can keep this up.

Mile 8- This weather rocks! By mile 8 last week at Ragnar, I thought I would pass out. I feel great. Thank you Mother Nature for sending me cold weather.

Mile 9- Keep eating, keep hydrating. Doing great!

Mile 10- I ask Pedro if he's not going to eat anything. He says no. I worry. 

Mile 11- Keep eating, keep hydrating. Feeling good and strong. I was so ready for this race.

Mile 12- Man, this is a long ass distance. S#@#!

Mile 13- Ohhhhhhh, the turnaround point... And there it goes, you signed up for 26.2 so 26.2 it is.

Mile 14- This is a damn long distance. Why did I do this again? I ask Pedro again why he isn't eating. I worry even more now because we are still holding a steady pace of a 4:45/4:50 finish.

Mile 15- Silence in my mind. I feel tired and overwhelmed that there are still 11 miles to go.

Mile 16- Keep going, keep going, keep going only 10 to go. You turned the corner. 10 to go! You are way more than half way there. Pedro finally takes in a hammer gel... Now I am really worried.

Mile 17- And I'm baaaaaaaaack. I got this. This is what I trained for. I feel strong and empowered. 4:45 /4:50 here I come. I'm going to do it. HELLOOOOOO SECOND WIND! I'm glad you finally showed up. Look at the Mile 17 marker. I'm going to take a funny picture and ask my husband to send it to my friend to post on facebook. Today is a great day!

Notice I'm laughing and kidding around. Hello second wind and welcome!

Mile 18- Pedro asks me to slow down. Oh oh.

Mile 19- Pep talk between the two of us, we got this, let's keep trucking along. 

Mile 20- Keep going, keep going, it's so close I can taste it. I can see us crossing the finish line.

Mile 21- Pedro tells me to walk a bit and he seems like he's hurting. I'm thinking he didn't fuel enough and the lack of long miles during training is not helping. He takes two hammer gels but as we all know, there's no coming back once you're very depleted. This is it, it all caught up to him, the beers, the lack of long miles and the poor fueling during the race. This is where it showed up. 

Mile 22- Walking more. 

Mile 23- Walking more.

Mile 24- Walking more and arguing back and forth about running. I want to run, he doesn't.

Mile 25- Our 4:45/4:50 time is gone and we're looking at a 5:10/5:15 finish. He's even more upset apologizing and I'm telling him it's fine, let's just cross together strong. We are there, we did it, let's run it in!!  I'm speedwalking and feeling strong. I want the finish line!! 

Mile 26- We finish it and run it in.

It was a weird feeling to cross the finish line feeling great. I was expecting to feel exhausted and drained and tired. Instead I felt energized and intact. I probably could have kept going for a few more miles. That is what training properly does. Much to my surprise, I found 3 of the most amazing ladies I know waiting at the finish line for me with signs. I cried so much when I saw them and kept crying afterwards. I was so grateful that they would wake up early on a Sunday morning and go out to support me. I couldn't believe they were there. How lucky can a girl get to have such wonderful friends as these?!

On my right and left are Claudia and Martha who woke their kids up early and made the most kick ass signs for me. They traveled all the way to Fort Lauderdale and waited for me to come in. I remember noticing the Mommyathlon shirts on my left as I ran towards the finish line and then I saw my name on the signs and their smiling faces. One of the most special moments of my life. A few feet further down, I saw the lady all the way on the right, Ana. She had run the half marathon and come back to cheer me in. Every time I saw their smiling faces, I would start to cry all over again and would hug them. They must have thought I was crazy at the moment but I was just overwhelmed with love and appreciation. 

And one more HUGE thank you to the crazy man that stands by me, supports me and makes me stronger, the hubs. He was out there in full riding gear on his bike from the minute the gun went off all the way to mile 17. Every 2-3 miles he was there cheering for me.  At mile 17, he raced back to the start line to change and catch a shuttle bus to the finish line. He then ran out to mile 25, cheered me on and raced back to the finish line to catch me running in. THANK YOU BABE.

This guy right here makes everything better for me!  <3

  

WE DID IT!

So what does a marathoner eat? Funny you should ask - a marathoner goes to Chili's with the most wonderful friends and devours a burger and a dessert (I forget the name) that involves a chocolate chip cookie, ice cream and extra hot fudge! SO GOOD, SO VERY VERY GOOD!

Upon getting home, I iced the knees and spent some time outside with my wonderful in-laws and my amazing kiddies.

This concludes my 26.2 experience and it was a pretty great way to end the day with a picnic surrounded by people I love.

And as it is with childbirth and full marathons, people always feel the need to ask right away, "when is the next one?". I find I have two very different answers. Post childbirth, I find myself giving the look of death to the person that asked. With the full marathon, I wasn't even asked before I was already looking online to find my next full marathon adventure. I learned a couple of things from this race. 

1. Don't do Ragnar the week before. It didn't impede my performance all that much but my next full marathon will be for time and I will prepare solely for that race.  

2. Do the training - do the long runs, do the fueling over and over again on all those long runs because it will be your practice for race day and all will go well. You will have it down to perfection and you will be like a machine cranking those miles out and feeling well doing so. I can honestly say that the full was a great experience. I was a bit sore the day after but not so much so because the hubs and I took the kids to Bayside (a mall by the bay of Miami) and walked all afternoon and had a great time together.  

3. Don't undertrain and if you're doing a race with someone, be on the same page! If not, it's difficult if one runner is feeling better than the other. For Pedro and myself, we worked well together because we're practically siblings. We have so many years of friendship that we were both able to be honest throughout the course of where we were at. That being said, if you're training with a partner, try to get those long runs in together and practice together. It will keep you both accountable for race day so that neither of you hits a rough patch. A full marathon is no joke!

4. Someone on the facebook Mommyathlon page told me to "enjoy every smile". I never thought of that during a race but I was conscious of it throughout this race and I did enjoy every smile. Every person with a cow bell that smiled and urged me on, every volunteer with a smile that handed me water and told me that I was doing great, every onlooker on the side of the street that clapped and smiled. I took them all in and I returned every single one. In the end, I found that I came out smiling in most of my marathon pictures (sample below) and there was something really great in that. The ability to endure a great physical challenge and smile through it. I enjoyed it after all!  

Dear 26.2, our date was intense. There were good times and bad times. There were a few times of self doubt but for the most part, I knew how it was going to turn out even before our date began... See you again next year!

26.2 decal, CHECK!