Before and After.

Cleaning up today a basket full of cra.. I mean a basket full of old things, I came across the picture on the left. It was taken June 03, 2012 as I crossed the finish line of the Twilight 5K. Notice my face. All I can remember was that I was hurting and thinking how could people enjoy doing this for greater distances?! It had been a few weeks after I had decided to take up jogging in order to lose my post pregnancy weight. Every minute was hard even though I remember feeling stronger since I had been exercising consistently. I was happy that I had finished it and determined to continue my journey towards fitness and a healthier me.

I did continue my journey. 8 months passed during which I continued my training plans. I set new goals. I stayed true to them. I believed I could do it and then I knew I would.

Now look at the picture of the runner on the right hand side. Yeah, that's me.  It's still the same mom, but she's smiling.  She's stronger and fit and healthier. This picture was taken on February 24, 2013 as I crossed the finish line of the Disney Princess Half Marathon, which explains my ridiculous outfit! It was my first half marathon. I enjoyed every minute of it. It was hard but I wasn't hurting. I was pushing myself. The half marathon was 10 miles farther than the distance I did on the left.

And my journey continues...

     

Mommyathlon- Moms running the world!

So I went ahead and got a logo for our running/exercise fitness group. I love it. It incorporates our being mothers with our being into fitness. Whether you bike, run, swim or do endurance sports, this logo covers it all. It also shows our beauty, strength and commitment to being healthy. You know you're a Mommyathlon if you you're a mom and take time out of your crazy, busy schedule to go out, run marathons, ride those bikes, exercise and get healthy!

Happy Women's Day

I just found out that today is National Women's Day. A day to celebrate women? Sounds good to me! So to all the great women in my life that have helped me in my journey, to all those that may come my way, to all the mothers, daughters, wives, aunts and great women everywhere, HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY!!  Let's celebrate us! 

You say obsessed, I say dedicated!

It's been 10 days since my first half marathon and several things have happened that led an acquaintance to call me "obsessed". It was said in a derogatory way like I was doing something bad. Why is it that when others do something new, some people are so quick to knock it, or try to knock it? 

I am currently registered for 6 races; a 5K, three half marathons, one full marathon and a major relay race that goes from Miami all the way to the Florida Keys. So, is this an obsession? Yeah, it is but then again, SO WHAT?! I have found a new part of me that I hadn't found in 39 years and that part of me is a runner. So maybe I am a little obsessed but why would a person I barely know criticize something that is basically good for me? I don't have the answer to that and I don't mind not knowing it. I do know that I feel great. I have continued my long runs on Sundays and have my second half marathon coming up in April. I feel so great that I dared sign up for a full marathon at the end of the year. That's right, a full marathon, 26.2 miles and the woman who thought she couldn't do a half marathon clicked register without any doubt that she would cross the 26.2 finish line come December 2013. That woman is me, the runner!

MyFitnesPal and running have put me back into my pre-pregnancy jeans and I am 8 lbs shy of being where I was 3 years ago when I first got pregnant except, I'm a lot stronger and braver than I was then. And maybe I am obsessed, or maybe, just maybe, that acquaintance is lazy!

2 days after the Disney Princess Half Marathon

What an amazing experience. The morning started at 2:30am. Yes, that early! We woke up, got ready, packed up our car and were off to the race. A DJ, lights and over 20,000 of our closest friends were there to join our group. Everyone waiting for that same moment when we are in our corral and it's finally time to get this marathon on the way! One by one, each corral was told to go with a round of fireworks and cheer. We were in corral F so it took quite while but when it was our turn, I remember thinking of all the runs it took to get me here and right when I crossed that start line, I felt gratitude that I could be here and that I had made it all the way here and felt great about it. The race began, we took off and you have to give credit to Disney for making it a show along the way. Plenty of places to take picstures although the lines were so long that I decided to keep going. There were 3 of us together then 2 then my friend stepped away for a second to grab water and she didn't tell me and so I had kept going. When I looked back, she was nowhere in sight and I decided to keep going and to keep going strong.

I went into my own thoughts and took in every single second, character, view and kept going. I crossed the finish line 2 hours, 31 minutes and 26 seconds after having started. When I saw the finish line I remember thinking, "I DID IT". And I had done it, I had finished what I had started many months ago and I felt great! Just one problem, I want to do it again...

My friend and I left the race in such elation and then the hunger set in! I checked my heart monitor and realized that I had burned over 2,000 calories. So here's a picture showing you how real princesses eat.

Cracker Barrel - CHICKEN FRIED CHICKEN, YEAH

I used to wonder why people got so addicted to running and now I am one of them but now I know the answer. It's the power of knowing you can do this, it's the glory of crossing that finish line and getting your medal, it's the satisfaction of setting out to do something that not everyone does, it's the getting healthy and noticing that you not only look fit but you feel fit, the energy, the high, the physical health, and the fun. All these things lead to my running addiction. Next stop, Key Biscayne Half Marathon in April. I'm ready. Bring it!

2 days left till the Disney Princess Half Marathon

It's Friday before the race and I got my butt on the scale today and low and behold, I cleared the 150's. It's 149.50 but it is a huge goal that I wanted to get to before going off to complete my first half marathon. I am stoked and happy. 10 more lbs to get to my goal weight. FINALLY!

On another note, we (one of my best friends and I) leave tomorrow morning at 7am to begin our journey towards our first half marathon. Some of the group that has been training together left today. I can not believe the day is here and I can't wait to soak it all up. Today I rest and tomorrow as well and it is NOT easy to not do any exercise after doing so much. I feel restless and anxious. Perhaps that will help me run better on Sunday!  

5 days away from the Disney Princess Half Marathon

Tapering SUCKS! 5 days until my first half marathon and I'm supposed to taper (run a lot less) the last 2 weeks going into a race. As hard as it was to get used to running a lot, it's even harder to get used to running less. I find myself anxious and wanting to put on my shoes and go for a long run but I can't, not until Sunday! UGHHHHH Tapering helps with not having tired legs and with giving you that extra rest right before a long race so you can go harder and faster. In the meantime, you have to deal with your body being restless and having a lot of extra energy due to the cutback of exercising. 

Since I have this extra time and energy, I thought myself brave this morning and dug into my old clothes to find that I could almost fit into my pre-baby jeans. WHAT?!?! Can it be?! I'm about one inch away from closing those suckers and about 10 lbs away from pre-baby weight. So close, so close... 

That being said, I don't think I've ever been as completely physically fit as I am these days. Funny looking back, to think of where I was a year ago... Thank you running!