Injury, depression and recovery! From March to now...

I had the best race of my life. I was in the fastest running shape I have ever been - and this is saying a lot for me because I am quite an average, middle of the pack, type of runner mom. But not on March 19. On March 19, I pr'd my half marathon by almost ten minutes! 2:07 or 2:08:28 as per the official race time but my watch said 2:07. It didn't matter.  Either way, it was close to a ten minute pr and it was the sub 2:10 half marathon I had been chasing for years since I started running. It was pure gold for me.

All was great. I kept up my training but then April rolled along and it brought a sharp pain with it on the front side of my right leg, beginning from the ankle stretching upward. Immediately I thought stress fracture. I have an incredibly demanding job as a PE coach covering 8-10 miles a day. I figured a minor stress fracture and a few weeks later I'd be up and running. Then there was the doctor. Three words - posterior tibial tendonitis. According to him, "it really never goes away and you don't quite heal from it. Orthotics help but might not and speedwork usually makes it hurt and oh yeah, if you run through the pain, it can lead to permanent damage and/or surgery..." SH*%!!!!

So, along came the boot for six weeks and it went with me to a trip we went on to North Carolina for the kid's spring break.....

Back home we went.  At the end of May, hubs and I went to participate in the Keys 100 relay race. I walked most of it and felt miserable. I should have been running my distances. I made the best of great company and a great team but deep down, I was bummed. I got back home depressed.

June came around and along with it came the end of school, the end of long days on my feet and I decided that I was a healthy Mommyathlon. I had an injury but it's still me and I never give up. So I continued to be incredibly safe and would spend my time on the spinner more than running. I have been an OTF addict for two years now and I would do the spinner one day then I started to incorporate the treadmill the next day. I started slow with minor inclines and I focused every second on forefoot striking. I was going to completely change the way I run. I had always been a mid foot/heel striker. Little by little, and very slowly, I have adjusted my running to forefoot striking. I haven't done incredibly long distances but I have done three miles and guess what? NO PAIN! 

I continue to play it safe and incorporate the spinner in between treadmill days but I am getting stronger and the injury I thought would take running from me is sitting quiet while I change my stride. What felt uncomfortable and awkward is starting to feel relatively normal. It's not familiar but it will be one day. I'm searching for my stride, albeit in a new way. I'll find it again one day. After all, I'm a mom. We don't give up and we never take the easy route. But we get it done and we always do our best.

Nathan Firecatcher Hydration Vest Review - Running Bliss!

Two moths ago, my husband gave me the Nathan Firecatcher hydration vest for Christmas. Being one of those women that hates carrying things on a run, I had not used it. I usually take a water bottle and my arm pocket and I'm good to go. I believed that I would hate every minute of wearing a heavy vest and that it would be incredibly uncomfortable.....  I WAS SOOOO WRONG!!!!!

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went out for a longish run together. I took my usual water bottle in hand and he took his vest. By the middle of the run, I had hot water and he had cold water. By three quarters of the run, I was looking for a water fountain to refill my bottle and he still had cold water. And by the end of the run, I was drinking from his vest and he still had cold water! Fast forward to this past Monday.

I'm currently registered for the Sarasota half marathon and doing my long runs as part of my usual training. I had been in Orlando with my children and decided to do my long run on Monday as I returned late Sunday night. I was going for 10 miles. That's not a very long run but long enough in Florida with the hot weather that you want cold water. I decided to try the vest thinking I would hate it. I even put my arm pocket in the car and thought if I really couldn't stand it, one mile in, I would go back to my car, take it off and grab the arm pocket instead and a water bottle which I left in a cooler in my car. I woke up early Monday morning, grabbed my vest, filled the bladder with a ton of ice and a lot of water. It felt heavy I thought. Definitely heavy enough to be uncomfortable but I was willing to give it a try. I also put a mini speaker in one pocket and thought, wow, this is great, it fits!  I love to listen to music on my runs and my cell phone cover limits the sound plus the arm pocket holding the phone limits it as well. In my right pocket, I put my phone and pepper spray. In two additional side pockets, I put some toilet paper and Gu's. I was ready.

Small round speaker in my left pocket.

Cell phone and pepper spray in right pocket.

I got to my running destination and threw my license and keys in the back pocket of the vest and then adjusted all the straps for a snug fit. I started my run wondering how long I would be able to stand the vest and found myself gliding quite comfortably on my run. It didn't feel as heavy as I thought it would. The adjustable straps work great even while running to tighten the vest for a practically bounce free ride. I was so surprised. Around mile 2, I went to have water. It was so cold and refreshing! I was in heaven. I decided to then turn on my speaker and connect my phone which I was able to do so in seconds because I didn't have to unzip my arm pocket and fight to get the phone out and in back again. The vest pockets are so easily accessible. I was jamming to loud music and the miles began drifting away as I could drink cold water whenever I wanted to without taking off a cap. Just sip it anytime I wanted. Ah yes, before I forget, when you take the first sip after not having had water for a little while, the water in the tube becomes warm. My husband had warned me to spit out that first gulp. So I would just spit that one out before hitting the wonderful, really cold water!!! HEAVEN!  I thought, this is running heaven. Sounds dramatic doesn't it? But I seriously felt elated. I took a Gu at mile 5 without stopping b/c I just unzipped the side pocket, got it and continued on my run. I also hit the Key Biscayne bridge at this mile just as Journey came on singing "Don't Stop Believing". I had runners thank me for the great tune up the bridge. The speaker was loud and I could hear it clearly (as could other runners). I had turned into the great person sharing a jam or the annoying person with way too loud music on a run - you pick! I loved it. 

At about mile 8, I stopped for a bathroom break and of course, no toilet paper in the bathroom but hey, who cares?!?!?! I have some on me in my other side pocket!!! It was like running with a backpack full of things I like to have on my runs. And don't forget, COLD WATER!  In hot Florida, I had COLD WATER! AND LOUD MUSIC!!! I found myself thinking of Princess Jasmine from Aladdin and how I could be her right now singing "A Whole New World" to my Nathan vest. Yes, that's how happy I was! At about mile 9, I cranked things up and did negative splits on my last two miles and even added an extra mile because I was feeling so darn happy.

So my final words on getting a hydration pack...

"A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew
But when I'm way up here
It's crystal clear
That now I'm in a whole new world with you (my wonderful vest)"

Has it really been almost a year?

I just went online and realized it has been almost a year since my last post...  Let'see, in a nutshell...

1.  We went to Atlanta and did Ragnar for a second time and had a blast.  We had cold weather and enjoyed every minute compared to last year's monsoon! 

2.  I completed two half marathons - Miami Beach Halloween Half - I GOT A NEW PR and then the hubs and I were off to Las Vegas for the Rock n Roll Las Vegas half marathon - OH MY GOSH, HOW FUN!!!!!

3.  I ran a 5K and got a PR of 27 minutes - never thought I could do that!

And here we are.  There's been a lot of mommy moments, good and bad, and life in general, good and bad.  It's baffling how fast a year goes by when you are working full time and trying to do the best you can in many areas.

We all wear so many hats - so here's to all the mommies making the best of every day!  I will try to post more for this year!  :-)

RAGNAR ATL HERE WE COME!!!!!!!

HECK YEAH!!!! We did our first Ragnar ATL Trail relay last year (2015) and we are off again this year! Who's with me?  If you're not, you should be! This will be our 4th experience with Ragnar and I am sure you've seen me blog about it before. Good friends, running, laughs, amazing views and waiting for you at the end, a cool medal and an AMAZING sense of accomplishment!

We ship off in a few days but I will be sure to share this great adventure!!!! 

Disney Princess Half Marathon Part II

Ever since I started working full time with kids, I have been ignoring my blog a bit BUT I always still find time to race. More so when it's with friends!

3 years ago, I completed my first half marathon at the Disney Princess Half Marathon. Since then, I have completed countless halfs, two fulls, Ragnar Relays and so many 5k's/10k's, I lost count. I have become a smarter runner, and that doesn't necessarily mean faster. It means I have learned to race hard at some races and to simply enjoy others.

This Princess enjoyed the heck out of this race!  Here are a few shots!

We went with an "Alice" theme.

 

I think we got a pretty good look going huh?!

It's always nice to reach the mile stones in a race!

Or not.....  Seriously, we weren't sick of each other, we were playing around.  For real!

Because crossing a finish line together is always great fun!!!!

And the running in between is pretty great too!

Thank again Disney!!!!  No doubt, we will be back again one day!

Why you don't stop and why you "TRI LIKE A MOTHER!!!!!"

I finally got the dreaded triathlon monkey off my back, I broke the curse, I faced my tri demons, you name it any way you want, I finally crossed the finish line of a triathlon! It was my 4th attempt! This is why you don't give up when you fail something and why you shouldn't let one failure (or several) define what you can or cannot do. Here's a story.

I first registered for a triathlon in June 2012. It was a sprint tri. Not a very hard distance, or so I thought. I was wrong. It was rainy and cold and when I stood on the shore, I thought, "I'm screwed, no way I can cover this distance". I had trained well enough but the swim really had me on edge and I felt under trained in that aspect. The tri started, I jumped in the water and after 5 hours, I finally gave up and walked out. Ok, you caught me, it was 5 minutes. Isn't that just crazy? I had literally been swimming for about 5 minutes when I thought "I can't do this. I'm a loser. I suck. Why did I register for this? What was I thinking? I'm a mom and my children are going to lose their mother in the ocean. Is that a shark? There's a shark near me, I'm sure of it. I should walk out before the shark bites me. Damn sharks. Oh, it isn't a shark, it's seaweed, now I can't walk out. I can still drown. I should walk out. Screw this, I'm walking". I became my own worst enemy filling my head with negative thoughts and I walked out. I felt miserable and depressed. I failed. About two months later I signed up for my first half marathon and focused on that. We all know how that story goes and if you don't, I've done over 10 half marathons, 2 fulls, Ragnar races, 5K's, 10K's and had a blast!

Then there was the Mommyathlon "TRI LIKE A MOTHER" decal that just sat in a box waiting for me. I finally got the courage to register for another triathlon. Well, 2. Everyone knows I tend to go all out for things. So being a little crazy, I decided to go for an international distance triathlon that was to take place in May 2014 and then a half iron triathlon in November 2014. Well, as luck would have it, we went on a family vacation to Washington DC in April and I came back with a horrible case of bronchitis. I deferred the triathlon to 2015 and continued my running, exercise and then began half iron triathlon training. I have never trained so hard for a race. I spent 12 weeks eating, breathing and drinking triathlon training. I biked hundreds of miles, swam hundreds of meters and ran like running was going out of style. I was in tip top shape. I was soooooooooooo ready. This was it, I was going to finally do it and I was going to do it big with a half iron triathlon... Or not.

Three days before my triathlon, my son woke up covered in vomit. Most mommies will guess right away, the dreaded stomach flu. I woke up race morning sick and nauseous and feeling miserable. Even then, I went to the race and tried my best. I somehow managed to complete the 1.2 mile swim but I was completely out of gas and sick and couldn't eat. Click here for a batter recap: http://mommyathlon.blogspot.com/2014/11/i-walked-out-i-quit-and-thats-just-fine.html

Needless to say, I quit and walked out. I cried the whole way to the car and even after, I fell into a workout depression during which time I didn't work out for weeks. I thought I was going to be fine with it but accepting that 12 weeks of training had ended on a very disappointing note was hard on me. In time, I got over it.  I got back to exercise routine and decided to just lay low, train and be happy. It's my status quo but then I won the magical entry into Big Sur - that race changed me. It was such a challenge and it made me stronger. Click here for a recap:  http://mommyathlon.blogspot.com/2015/05/big-sur-recap-and-then-some.html

So, about 2 weeks before race day, I get a reminder for the international distance triathlon. I had not been swimming or on my bike since last November. I told my husband I was going to try to finally cross that finish line. I was undertrained and unprepared. I had no business out there but my Big Sur training had me in pretty damn good shape and quite honestly, there's something about finishing a race like Big Sur that leaves you with this certainty that you can conquer a lot of things. I didn't tell my friends or family. My husband wanted to be there for me and so we made a deal. If I was able to finish the swim, I would text him "out". That was it. One simple word would give him the heads up that I might finally be able to do this. If I was able to finish the bike section, I would text "off" and then he would know this was really going to happen.

I drove to the race that morning with my nerves keeping me company. I focused on positive thoughts and tried to visualize myself getting out of the water. I went into the water and started the swim. Most ladies were out 15 minutes before I was but you know what? I was there to finish. I was not trying to PR or to beat anyone. I was trying to finish something that has eluded me for years. I kept swimming and just kept focused on each marker I had to reach next. After a very long swim, I got out of the water. I finished it. I remember thinking, this is really going to happen today but I didn't want to tempt the tri fate and so I texted "out" as soon as I got out of the water. I remember thinking that I desperately need a swim coach, hahaha. I got on my bike which is usually my strongest sport but I was slow and it was brutally hot. The swim had also taken a lot out of me. I just kept pedalling and before I knew it, I was putting on my running shoes and texted my husband "off". He knew this meant I was off my bike and about an hour away from finishing my first triathlon. He packed the kiddos into the car and headed to meet me at the finish line. It was a 6.6 mile run. It was brutally hot at this point because I was so slow swimming and on the bike and I was really tired but i kept putting one foot in front of the other. I was much slower than normal but a few walk breaks later, I was 1 mile out and thinking, I am finally putting that decal on my car and I am finishing a triathlon. I rounded the last corner to my husband screaming "BABY!!!!  GO GO GO" and I ran the last .10 with my daughter and son at my side screaming "GO MAMI, I LOVE YOU" and I thought, I'm going to put that decal on my car and I'm going to cross the finish line, right now.......  And that's just what I did!

Moral of the story Mommyathlons???  DON'T EVER GIVE UP! One failed attempt, or a few, is alright. It just makes us stronger and it means you were not afraid to "tri".

Big Sur Recap and then some!!!!

Ok, so it's been a LONG time since I posted. I conquered Big Sur, returned and jumped into my mommy duties. The end of school is around the corner and the schedules with work, sports, etc are hectic. I finally had some down time today and will try to get through it as best I can without boring you all out there. I warn you, there are a lot of pictures and I didn't even post them all! So I will try to give you all a recap as quickly as I can. 

We arrived on Thursday and it was go go go. Hubs and I decided to try to get as much sightseeing in as we could before and after the race. We have never been to California and we really wanted to do as much as we could. California is an amazing state with so much beauty.  

ON OUR WAY!

I normally have crazy, curly hair but I decided that I wanted a different look, so I went with straight hair to Cali.  :-)

Um, yes, even in California I found a 7-11.  :-)

The Redwood Trees are magnificent!!!!

 

This trip was powered by something bigger then myself and this view left me breathless!

These are our amazing friends who opened their home to us so we could stay with them. They also took us to Lake Tahoe - I will never forget this trip. The beauty is everywhere around you. I've never seen such natural beauty everywhere I turn. 

 

We found a heart and we borrowed it for a picture!

Time to leave and go to packet pick up!!!!

The energy at the expo was amazing.
There were also so many Boston jackets - made me feel incredible to walk among such great runners and I felt so lucky!!!
We found our names on the wall. VERY COOL!
Hubs registered for the 5K to be there with me at the end of the race. <3

After packet pick up, we went out for more sightseeing!

One kiss and off to dinner then to rest at our hotel for the night.

I took many, many, many layers of clothing and I was so glad I did. The race start was in the low 50's and people were freezing. I was warm and cozy!! hehehehe

BUS PICK UP - 3:30am

I'm so nervous and excited here! What a crazy feeling!

And we are here, race start!

The day dawned as we awaited the race start - the energy is crazy!!!!

The race began and along I went soaking it all in.
This was my first picture and as you can see, I have dropped most layers of clothing.

This is going on to mile 10 and what will be the longest climb! BRING IT!

DONE!!  What a feeling of joy and accomplishment!

The famous bridge - you can already hear the piano player and that's when my happy tears flowed.
There was something happy in knowing that I had made it to this famous crossing and there was
a feeling of gratitude that I am healthy and could take part in such an event.

There are no words to express the beauty - it's even prettier in person!

At this mile, volunteers mentioned that I had to make it to mile 22 by a certain time or you are taken away in a bus.
Things got real here for me. As luck, or bad luck would have it, Mother Nature paid me a visit the night before.
Most women know what this second day means - a lot of bathroom visits and time had ticked away. I stopped for some incredible pictures but I made my way fast to mile 22. No way I was coming back on a bus! 

Made it - SO CLOSE TO THE FINISH!

This is my favorite mile marker! It made me laugh hysterically. Then again, I might have been a bit delirious as well.

There is no way to briefly recap BIG SUR. It's just too...... BIG! hahaha It was breathtaking, incredible, difficult, challenging, and wonderful. The first few miles wound through trees and opened up into a postcard picture of the ocean on your left and mountains ahead of you. The wind felt like a constant pressure against your chest reminding you of how small you are. The beauty masked the hardship of miles at your feet. It seemed that the miles flowed as quickly as the wind did. I've never had a long run feel like this. It was magical. Miles 22 -26 were hard. The rolling hills and skewed streets challenged very tired legs but something in this race remains strong throughout the winds, the hills, the mountains, the streets, and that is the human spirit. Big Sur has earned its reputation as one of the "must do" marathons not only because of its beauty, but also because of the feeling you feel when running it. I will never forget it. 

We left to Yosemite after the race and went to see the famous Sequoias - yes, I did a trail hike after the race.
I was slow, slow slow and only did the .8 mile trail but it was worth it!  

Good night to a most spectacular day!

Good morning Yosemite - more beauty to take in!

The day after the race we were out and about looking at more beautiful sights!

On to Napa on our last day before heading home.

This is a funny picture. Too many tastings!

Back home and tired! We caught the red eye and I remember feeling  so ready to hug my children!

As the sun said good bye to the sky, I said good bye to California.  Thank you Big Sir for Big Sur. I still can't believe I won an entry into this race but I am so grateful. What a gift it was! A new challenge for myself and a lesson.  There is no physical challenge (good one, Mother Nature), no wind, no amount of hills or skewed streets or miles that can stop you if you wish to move forward and in that strength, you find the time to appreciate the beauty around you, the time to be grateful that you can do things like this and the certainty that life really is a gift to be cherished, but most of all to be lived!

I'm sure there are those that have done many marathons - GOOD FOR YOU! Keep it going! I know I will!

And for those that read wondering if they could ever do this, it's so simple...  Of course YOU CAN! You just have to want it and then work for it! A few years ago, one block was all I could run and now I have Big Sur behind me and who knows what awaits in the future! 

What's a race recap without finish line pics?!?!  Here are my fav!

BIG SUR FINISHER!!!!!