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!

  

Ragnar Miami to Florida Keys Relay Race Review

How do you fit an amazing time, 32 hours of travel/runs and laughs into a blog post?! I will try to do my best with words and pictures to bring you up to date quickly and without boring you. It's mostly from my perspective and my runs. There are a total of 36 legs split up between 12 runners and each runner has three legs to run. I will sum it up as best I can from my own experience and my runs. 

Our Ragnar challenge, 198 miles beginning in Miami and ending at Key West. Long before I became a runner, I heard stories from my husband about this crazy relay challenge and how he wanted to do it. Leave it to me to become a runner and put us on a team a year later. And boy what a team! Some things you make happen, some just happen. This team happened. An old friend from high school (Chrissie) had done Ragnar and I had seen her in pictures (thank you facebook). I happened to mention to her that I wanted to try it and might need some help/pointers. She mentioned she was actually putting a new team and wanted a 10:00 minute pace. Done! She let my husband and I in and asked if we had anyone else. I asked a good friend of mine and my husband's best friend. Both jumped at the opportunity and that is how the first 4 runners from Van 1 came to be. Chrissie told me she had 2 runners for our van and boom, Van 1 was complete. Now we just had to wait about 8 months.

Those 8 months passed and Chrissie asked me to be co-captain of Van 1. I was excited as we prepared what we needed and spoke often of things for the vans, etc. Van 2 runners offered to have a pre-race pasta dinner and we finally all met and got together to decorate our vans. It was brief and quick as Van 1 had to be in Key Biscayne at 4:30am for our start time of 5:30am.

The night before!  Van 1 ready in my driveway and it's time to get packed up and try to get some sleep.

Hubs and I went to bed at 1am and woke up at 3am. BRUTAL but this would set the pace for the next 35 hours or so. Sleep was something we would not get a lot of.

You'll see us wearing these reflective vests a lot. They are mandatory between the hours of 4:30pm and 7:30am. I knew this was going to be a very interesting day when I had to go to the port o potty (nerves) and I emerged to find a welcoming committee cheering me on and hoping I had a good time in the port o potty before the race. This team was going to rock! 

SO READY! My first leg, 5.7 miles out from the key to Coconut Grove. A run I do every week-end. This was very cool and symbolic for me. Hundreds of times I have been out there and here I was on this great adventure. I took off. Little did I know that there was a cloud with a rain storm waiting about 1 mile from the end. I got to the Van soaked and everyone was wondering why I was sweating so much and if I was ok. I told my husband I was fine and that it was pouring rain. Wouldn't you know it, they didn't get one drop. It's okay, I was having a blast.

That speed demon you see is the hubs taking off. He's fast and is in the midst of training for an ultra. He said he would take it slow. You an tell from the pic, that was not happening!

Different runners from our van coming and going. (Top middle pic is Will, one of my husband's best friends.)

Peter, another fast runner and the Ragnar pro in our van.

Victor and Melissa (my partner in crime for Van 1).

The VAN - many many hours were spent here!

We finished our first legs, #1-6 and handed off to Van 2 at Tamiami Park. The next time we would all see each other would be at the Homestead Speedway and little did I know what was coming!

The entire team - NO EXCUSES (-1 runner who had just gone out).

We were all hungry and off Van 1 went to eat.

That thing you see on my husband's plate is supposed to be "Swedish Pancakes". It was a blanket! We still don't know what it was but he claims that it was very good. 

We went to Peter's house to relax since we had some time to kill. It was a nice break and we got showers in. Thanks Pete! We set off and got to the Homestead Speedway and my heart sank. It was a brutally hot day. Not one cloud in the sky, the sun was out and Ragnar starts sending warning texts to my phone about a high heat index and how Vans need to support their runners. I was next. Leg 13 was listed as a "very hard" 8.8 miles and it would be accompanied by ridiculous heat. I am used to running in the Miami heat but it was 2pm and you could feel the heat radiating from the ground. Needless to say, as runner 12 came around the corner, I was nervous and not looking forward to being out in the sun for 8.8 miles. I checked my weather app and it read 88 degrees with a "feels like 94". NOT GOOD! 

Peter who has done this before looked at me as I got yet another high heat index warning and told me not to worry, that they would be 2 miles from the speedway and they would take care of me. I didn't know what this meant. I remember thinking 2 miles was a short distance especially since I have been training for my first full (which is in 2 days by the way). Peter has experience running Ragnar and he knew what was waiting for me. I didn't. 2 miles in I found myself hot and breathing as if I was running at full speed yet I wasn't quite turning my feet all that fast. I saw the Van and felt so freaking happy to see them. They were waving me down with the red flags Ragnar gives us and smiling and Melissa was running towards me with something. What was it? I couldn't tell through sweat drenched eyes. It was a freezing cold mini towel she had soaked in our cooler. She threw it around my neck and it felt like heaven. The hubs looks at me and asked if I was ok and my only response was "this is pretty bad". He told me to sit and I waved him off and took off again. Peter tells me he'll see me in 2 miles. This didn't seem like a short distance any more. 

It was the heat against me and I had 6.8 miles to go. Along the next two miles, I saw people getting into their vans and taking a break. One man lay on the floor and I asked him if he needed help and he told me he had already called his teammates. I assessed how I was feeling. I was feeling weak and hot but I was ok. Mile 4 and there was my team, like an experienced pit crew. It seems each had something to do. Melissa with the towel, Peter with water, Will with words of encouragement and Victor telling me I was doing great. The hubs pulls a bag full of ice and I put half of it in my sports bra - now you have to know that I despise having icy cold things on me yet there I was opening up my shirt asking for more. It was that hot! At this time in the race, our team became solidified. As corny as it sounds, we were a real team and that was not going to change. This feeling of camaraderie and the spirit of working towards a goal together (getting me to the exchange without passing out or overheating) would last us the entire race. It would not waiver. Keep it going, Michelle. I said this over and over. I kept on and I knew they would be 2 miles down that road again. Along those next two miles I saw a girl being led to a first aid truck and 2 more runners sitting in vans saying they needed a break. The asphalt was on fire and my feet started to feel like they were burning. I thought of a story the hubs told me of Badwater and how runners run along the white line. I tried this when I saw a white line and kept reminding myself that I was halfway there. I kept going to my team, I knew they were out there somewhere at mile 6 or so. 

Mile 6.5 came and sure enough, there they were. More ice, another cold towel, water and keep it going. I had 2 miles to go. The van support ended at this point and I turned into a gravel road that then led into some fields. It was eerie but there was a tiny bit of shade and I was really grateful. The gravel also cooled off significantly from the burning pavement and I found my feet were feeling better. There was mud and puddles and uneven trails but it actually kept my mind of the heat as I jumped around the terrain. Soon enough, there I was staring at the finish line and I ran fast, I took off with what little energy I had because it was over and I had made it. I never stopped and my amazing team that had gotten me through my most challenging run were there screaming and cheering me in. I sat in the car for a good 15 minutes drinking water with the ac vents on me and I could not cool off. The feeling of accomplishment was huge though and I was damn proud of myself. I changed socks to reveal red, burned feet. It was that hot! It actually took like 3 days for my feet to look normal again. 

The Homestead Speedway - notice the sky. Not one cloud!

A nice little alligator waiting in the water.

Lunch - I was starving but there wasn't much around. 

Will heading off after Peter brought it in. Both runs on gravel, both difficult. 

The next few pics are of the sunset which Melissa and I believe to be the most beautiful sunset EVER!

The difference in my skin color after my leg under the punishing sun!

When Will gets back, my husband is missing... If you guessed port o potty - you win a prize! ok, not really, but you are right. I'm screaming for him, he's screaming he's coming and then he forgets his watch. Will handed his off to him and off went hubs into the night. He was then followed by Victor and Melissa who both had pitch black runs. Normally I wouldn't like that but the weather had cooled off and boy was I jealous of their cool runs! We laughed about this and I joked with them. Before Melissa went on her run, we stopped at a Subway where we had the best turkey sandwich EVER! You will see this word over and over. Melissa and I were so delirious and tired that everything became the best EVER!

We stopped at a pizza place and picked up pizza which of course, Melissa and I thought was the best pepperoni pizza EVER! We devoured that pizza and stopped at a high school where you can pay to shower. I walked with Melissa and told her I was just going to wash my face since I didn't have a towel.  She was like "whatever, just use mine". Now, Melissa and I would never really share a towel but in the midst of Ragnar and being so close for so many hours, it seemed like something perfectly normal to do. She went in and showered and changed while I watched our bags, then I went in and showered and changed while she watched our bags and wouldn't you know it, as we walked back to the car, we realized that this was the best shower EVER!

We drove to Marathon and parked our car at a designated overnight parking lot where we could get some rest before runner 12 would come in and I would take off on my last leg. This was going to be my last run in this entire crazy day. A small run of 2.4 easy miles that I began at 5:20am. Almost 24 hours from the first time I took off. I ran them hard and loved every minute. I soaked it all in for my running was almost over. I came in and you can see how happy I was.

Runner 1 - DONE

Melissa and I shooting pictures of the sunrise - the most beautiful sunrise EVER! (Remember Melissa and I are now going on 2 days with about 4 hours of sleep) Also, here is Peter on the 7 mile bridge.

The most beautiful clouds EVER - Melissa and I have had many laughs thinking of how sleep deprived we were that we actually stood and stared at these clouds for 5 minutes reveling in their beauty. We were convinced we had never seen anything like them. Prettiest clouds EVER!

Runner 2 - DONE

Runner 3 - DONE

Florida Key Deer

Melissa and Peter stealing electricity. :-)

Runner 4 and 5 - DONE

Runner 6 and VAN 1 - DONE

You see the slap bracelet I'm holding??? Yeah well, we messed up and forgot to give it to Van 2 so after reaching Key West, we had to drive back out to give it to them. Luckily they were not held back and we almost were when we got pulled over by a police officer that was nice enough to tell us to slow down and let us go without a ticket. Mel and I thought he was the nicest police officer EVER!

The finish line area and waiting for VAN 2!

VAN 1 - best teammates EVER!

TEAM NO EXCUSES

A great lunch was had by all and off we went to get some naps in before dinner time and celebrating. The happiness and adrenalin lasted straight through the day.

A shirt we saw at Key West - and yes, this is the joy you feel when you can fit this in during a relay race. Everyone you are with will know and you won't care because you all cheer each other on when it happens. You get that close!

This seemed to wrap up a lot of this relay into a statement.

Time to drive it back home and say bye bye Ragnar! Thanks for the memories.

A sadness swept through me as I returned our van. It seemed like months of planning and waiting for this great race had ended way too quickly. In the midst of laughs and great times and rough times, people that had never really spent all that much time together created a kinship. You miss each other right after. The funny quirks of each person that you got used to over 32 crazy hours. And the inside jokes that still make us laugh and the inside secrets that will be kept... So when people ask me should they do Ragnar, I say yes, BUT, and it's a great big BUT, make sure you have the right team with you. It can make it a horrible experience, or it can make it the best experience (you guessed it) EVER!

Team NO EXCUSES is meeting for happy hour in a few weeks to discuss next yr and how to better our times. We ended up ranking 12th in our age group. Yeah, we will be back for more! So when you see our van, stop by and say hi!

As for me, I have a date with 26.2 this Sunday (my first full) and thanks to that second leg from Ragnar, I know I'm ready. It's my turn to cross that line and cross it I will because, I can.