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#TBT Wings for Life Race Recap

5/8/2014

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Remember when you were little and you ran EVERYWHERE. All around the house, from the one end of the playground to the other, to the car, to the beach, to the cereal lane in the grocery store, to each other, and away from each other. We would run and run and run without a care in the world...not our nutrition, not our compression socks, not our pace, not our time....we would just run until we felt like stopping.

On Sunday, I participated in the Wings for Life Event,  a WORLD WIDE EVENT where runners in  35 countries on 6 contients were running simultaneously  to raise funds for Spinal cord injuries. I ran it with a friend and teammate, Lupe Merlos, and a couple 100 other runners, who would also agree it was an incredible experience.
We ran like little kids:
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We Matched.  Head to toe, just like in middle school that you would excited match your best friend. (confession coming) I even took off my compression socks so we would be identical...well for that, and because it was a little cold and I thought that if they got wet (bodily fluid or water station mishap), the rest of the run would be more uncomfortable...and not to mention the terrible tan lines that would result from said accessory.

We Snacked. I think it's the first race that I have FEASTED. I ate Gu's of a variety of flavors that runners around me offered. I ate half a banana around mile 7 maybe (slowly like Lupe suggested) and then another half around mile 17. I had Gatorade, water, and an electrolyte juice that Lupe and I carried throughout the first half of the race. Parts of me were like: STICK TO WHAT YOU ARE USED TO, other parts of me were like: FEED ME!!! Nonetheless...No cramps to report or trips to the rest room, oh and definitely no trips to the ER (always a plus).

We Laughed & Played.  "Smile, you are burning calories" was the mantra of our race....and we didn't even know we were going to get 4 seconds of national TV time. Throughout the race we also played a couple games including "hide and Seek", "Tag- you're it", and "I'm gonna find you" with unsuspecting targets along the course. With old friends, with aquaintances that became friends, and even with running idols we realized were just regular runners (when not in their element- TRACK) 
We ran until we were tagged.  No pace, no distance calculator, no real goal past what we had originally set out to run (13.1 miles- we hit at 1:34). We just followed the road and WFL signs--not knowing what lied ahead in the remaining miles, but NOT WORRIED ABOUT IT EITHER.
In the end, the Catcher Car caught Lupe and I at mile 21.33  after around 2:40mins of running. Neither of us had run over 14 miles in a couple years. Since the Miami Half marathon, Lupe has been focusing on TRACK (shorter events) while I have been more "off-season"-ing until a couple weeks ago when I started tri-training. But regardless of our training or milage...the WORLD RUN, the milage we were able to log, and the joy we felt participating... THAT surprised us both.
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Our 4 seconds of global running fame as the Catcher Car was approaching Bryan Huberty, Lupe, and I.

I know we are both looking forward to playing in this sandbox again next year!!!

Check out minute: 3:58:54 in the live stream above and some cool cats we spent the day with below:
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Top 5 female Finishers in USA ;)
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With Lolo Jones before the race.
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With MICHAEL WARDIAN 1st Place Male Finisher in the US, 27th in the world.
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-Happy Kid-Like Running

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The Course isn't always marked

4/24/2014

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"The course isn’t always well marked; cones are moved, volunteers are unsure of
instructions, markers may be too spaced apart or obscure, and moments of
discouragement or lack of inspiration to create, achieve, and even run, are
realities we all encounter but not ones we are doomed to live with.
 
So I had been in a training slump. I had been having trouble getting into a rhythm and even writing; Most of my article ideas seem to surface
through my pores along with the run induced sweat. I was a couple days from deadline for 
RUN SOUTH FLORIDA Magazine, when it occurred to me. I NEED to find my inspiration!  

Where had my inspiration gone?  

"The word INSPIRATION (IN-SPIRARE) literally means the ‘act of breathing in or inhaling’. Without Inspiration, divine guidance that enables us to look for the path we were on or a new path that has the potential to lead us to a better place, we feel lost. "
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As I started writing, I realized that I needed to follow my own advise:
" Dive into a NEW discipline, complimentary sport, or challenge yourself to tackle a longer distance. "I have decided to do my first
IronMan70.3 . We always think that another time
will be a better time to train, but reality proves otherwise. The grass isn't always greener. We have to make NOW be a good time to train. With all there is to do, I will try and track my journey from Mom to IRONMOM here.  I am tracking my training more for me, than for anyone else. I need to keep myself accountable, I need to trick myself to staying on COURSE =).
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Apparently I wasn't able to figure out where exactly my inspiration had gone, but I'm glad to say that I didn't wait for it to come back, I set out to find it.... and was surprised at how quickly our paths realigned. It's almost as if he was just playing hard to get. Deep down inside, he never wanted to leave my side to begin with. 

Here's to new goals! 

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Racing Tips

1/30/2014

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T-3 days! I thought I'd Repost this article that I wrote for Examiner.com: Racing Tips.
Here are some racing tips to keep in mind when approaching a big race. Take these for what they are, suggestions.
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Photo Credits: Miami Marathon
Pace yourself. The excitement of being surrounded by other anxious runners corralled at the start line, like horses on a race track, gets to everyone. The key is to stay calm. Get out ahead of the craziness but not too far where you expend your energy for no reason.

Be efficient. Remember to keep your form; head straight, jaw relaxed, shoulders down, arms swinging back and forth by your hips without crossing in front of your torso, good even stride, and quiet landing. [Easier said than done.]

Replenish during the race. Depending on the distance of the race, you might want to consider eating a snack. However, race day is not the day to start experimenting. Eat things that you have already tested during your training and have found that work well for you.


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Look forward. Not just for your form, look forward toward your target or goal. Give yourself little goals to reach during the race. This will not only keep you motivated, but will help the race go by faster. Before you know it, you'll be sprinting toward the finish.

Pass with authority. Once you decide you want to pass someone, make the pass and don't look back or second guess yourself. The slower you pass someone, the higher the chances are that he are she will try to stay with you. Every person you pass COUNTS.


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Finish strong. The reason you paced yourself at the beginning was so that you could progressively get stronger and faster throughout the race. Toward the finish, you want to "empty the gas tank", as most coaches like to say. There is no more need to store energy. As you become a stronger racer, you will be able to pick up the pace further and further away from the finish.

See you at the starting line!
To read more, check out other articles and publications HERE.
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RACE WEEK TIPS:

1/28/2014

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A couple days out from RACE DAY and race anxiety is starting to kick in. Everyone is posting pictures of "last run", "last workout", "last [insert activity]"....and the T-(whatever day) posts aren't helping either. Whether we are ready or not, come Sunday! It's Race time.

Feeling a little more in-control this week, may help with the race anxiety. We all know that we need to get rest, hydrate, and eat right. What we may not realize is that we are CREATURES OF HABIT! We need to continue in our same routines. Any abrupt change in our routine may have detrimental effects on our performance.

Here are some common mistakes runners make:

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TAPER TOO MUCH:
Taper: (verb) to diminish or reduce/ to reduce in thickness toward one end. 
In our sport, it means to reduce the amount of running in the couple days leading to a big race. I listed this one first because it's the one that everyone has been talking about. "How much are you running this week?". This week shouldn't be too different than past weeks! One of the biggest mistakes runners make before a big race is TAPERING TOO MUCH. Yes, you can ease-off the intensity and mileage  A LITTLE, but you don't want to shut down. You need to keep your finely tuned machine well OILED and ready to roll when the gun goes off on Sunday.  If you taper too much, your body may start going on Vacation Mode.

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GET EXPO-CRAZY: 
Friday and Saturday, The Miami Beach Convention Center will become Disney for runners! It will house hundreds of the latest running wear options, thousands of nutrition products, and have millions of tempting options to derail you from what YOU ARE USED TO! Don't go EXPOCRAZY. Just because Mo Farah runs in a certain Nike racing flat, doesn't mean that you need to as well.  There will also be lots of informative talks at the Expo. They are there to provide information, but keep in mind, they are opinions or points of view of certain runners. NOT EVERY TIP needs to be IMPLEMENTED on race day!

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CARBO-Loading disaster:
 All of us know that we need to load up on carbs before our half and full marathons because they are a great source of energy, but HOW and WHEN to LOAD could mean the difference between "hitting the wall" or "charging towards the port-a-potty".   In order to keep our body fully stocked for race day, we need to start carbo-loading 2-3 days before. By Thursday, our diet should consist of 85-95% carbs. CAUTION:This doesn't mean that your diet should consist of 85-95% pasta. There are other great sources of carbs found in sports drinks, snacks (cereals, oatmeal, granola), fruits (though they also have high fiber) and starchy vegetables.  Also, keep in mind that eating after our easy taper runs is the best time to replenish our glycogen stores.

Most importantly, the biggest mistake runners make is going for a late pasta dinner with friends and fellow runners the NIGHT BEFORE. You want to EAT early on Saturday so that you have enough time to digest your food. If you wake up hungry on Sunday morning, YOU DID WELL! You definitely don't want to wake up still stuffed from Saturday night's dinner. Race morning breakfast should include 100-150 grams of carbs. Tortillas, oatmeal, bread, pancakes, waffles, bagels, yogurt, and juice are all easy-to-digest options. It's recommended that you eat this meal around 2-3 hours before the race start. It sounds like a long time but if you eat AS SOON as you get up, you'll be within the correct window.

PictureDisclaimer: Not my toes.
DON'T CUT THEIR NAILS:
Last but definitely not least. In the craziness of Race Week, planning meals, filling water bottles, icing legs, and massaging calves, it may slip our mind to give ourselves a PEDICURE. You may laugh, but you will thank me for the reminder on mile 11 when you look down at your foot and DON'T SEE BLOOD! Fact: RUNNERS loose nails.  Having your toe nails nicely trimmed will minimize your chances of walking away from Bay Front Park with purple toe that will eventually turn black, and slowly slide off in the following 2 months making it difficult for you to wear sandals or heels if you remotely care about what people think of your feet. I did say- GIVE YOURSELF a pedicure. Call me paranoid, but I strongly encourage you to do it yourself because if you go to a salon, you may happen to get the nail lady on a bad day when she is out to save the world one cuticle at a time. You definitely don't want that! Safest bet, do it yourself and book a real "pamper-your-feet" Pedicure with your friends for anytime after Sunday Morning.

Long story, short...DON'T CHANGE your routine too much. Drink what you are used to, eat the supplements you have been eating while running, and wear the clothing/shoes you have been training with. RACE DAY is not the day to experiment! In order to perform at your best, make sure your ENERGY STORES are stocked up with the right foods to HELP, not HINDER, your race day performance. And lastly, double check that your toe nails are trimmed and ready for the BIG DANCE!

Hope these tips help....5 days to Go!
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Necessary alignments...

12/19/2013

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Ever finished a run with a hand and arm cramp? 
Yea that just happened!! 6 miles felt like 12, not because I was pushing an almost 40-pound wiggling toddler but because my stroller wasn't aligned! It kept pulling left. I'm exhausted, sore, and downright wornout!

Can u imagine the toll it must take on our bodies to be dis-aligned? If we have our leg pulling one way while our hip pulling the other direction?  Or worse, if we are pushing our bodies in one direction and our other life choices are pulling our body in another direction?!?! (I know it sucks...I've been there!)

I need to take a stroller to get re-aligned ASAP! There are times when we need to make some LIFE TUNE UPS too; Tweak a couple things here and there so that WE TOO can start running in a straight line.

Since September I have dropped my time 1 min and 19 seconds in the 5k, PRed in the 10k, by 2 minutes, and 2 weekends ago I swam/bike/ran my way into the OVERALL slots of  a Triathlon placing 3rd with the fastest 5k time in the run (for male and female competitors). Keep reading--THERE IS A POINT, and it's not for you to hate me. The reason I am telling you all this is because in the last couple months I've changed a couple things, made a couple adjustments that I wanted to share with you. You can read and become informed, read and disregard, or read and perhaps try some yourself and see what results you get.

Change 1- MY SOCIAL LIFE- I've tamed the social life down a notch (just one, don't worry- I am still a good time). Burning the candle at both ends isn't sustainable. And though possible to go out on a Friday with one group of friends and still mange to get by on a long run on Saturday morning with another group of friends...It's much more enjoyable to pick one of the two and do it well. I've been opting for the "enjoy the Saturday morning long-run" and notice that it's a lot EASIER with a full night's rest.
 
Change 2- MY EATING HABITS- Using Herbalife shakes for breakfast and cutting down on bread (which I love), I've managed to shed 17 pounds in the last 3 months. Notice that it wasn't like the ads in Facebook that say, 20 lbs in 20 days or the miracle pill for 3 sizes in 1 week... blah blah blah. It has been 3 months. meaning about 5.5 lbs a month. Just to give you some food for thought. Try running around with a gallon of milk everyday you go for a run/workout. A gallon of milk weighs a little over 8 lbs! CRAZY HUH! It's WEIGHT that you have to carry around with you...FOR A LOT OF MILES. Make your runs easier for yourself by making the dietary adjustments that you can! Your body and your running will love you for it.
 
Change 3- My HARD WORKOUTS- I have become more disciplined about workouts. At least once a week I've been doing harder/longer workouts at race goal time pace--not to mention trying to keep up with the boys that show up. It's really made a HUGE DIFFERENCE. Though recovery days, easy days, and steady long runs are a very necessary part of the equation, HARD RUNS where you are training your body to run at the pace that you want it to run at are ALSO a necessary evil!  I remember my High school cross country coach would always say: "LONG SLOW RUNS equals LONG SLOW RUNNERS". Give yourself a chance to impress yourself; try incorporating these faster workouts into your routine! (Check below for some info on workouts around the city.)

"Sometimes we are putting in the work, just not in the right way. All we end up doing then in wearing ourselves out! " 
These alignments are just the beginning. There is still a lot of work to be done and adjustments to be made! Just like we take our bikes in to get tuned up every couple months or before races, our lives and our running need the same TLC. Give yourself a gift this holiday season and take the time to make some alignments- personal, professional, emotional, and physical! 
-Happy Holidays
For a great physical alignment: Check out 
Dr. Flores 
Chiropractor, runner, and friend
4150 Nw 7th St Ste 200
Miami, FL 33126
Neighborhood: West Flagler
(305) 240-0929
floreschirogroup.com

Track Workout Options

Mondays
FDC/ Solerunners Marathon and Half Marathon Track Workouts at Tropical Park at 6:45pm
Call Store for more details:
(305) 595-7867
IRun Speed Workouts at IRun Store at 6:45pm
Tuesdays
Wolfpack Tempo Run at Tri-Beach at  6am
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Picture by Bryan Huberty
Thursdays
Wolfpack Track Workouts at Miami Country Day School at 6am
IRun Marathon Training Speed Workouts at AWP at 7pm
Call Store for more details: (305) 751-9440
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DON'Ts to Run By

11/6/2013

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Don’t overcompensate:
We all know that when we overcompensate, we inevitable get hurt. To prevent overcompensating, we need to work on our weaknesses instead of ignoring them. Over time, our weak points will
lead to worse and worse injuries if left unaddressed.
Definition of overcompensate (vti)
 Dictionary
 1. Try too hard to overcome: to try too hard to make up for a disadvantage or
shortcoming and fall into a fault of another kind    2. Reward too much: to pay somebody too much in recompense or compensation for
something done.
We overcompensate for our weaknesses by dedicating more time or energy to the things that we are better at because facing the weak aspects of ourselves may be too overwhelming or too difficult. Ignoring or pushing aside these aspects of ourselves that are sub-par will only lead to deeper and more permanent injuries that will be harder to recover from in the future. 

“Don’t look down...I’ve picked up all the pennies.”
That’s what my High School coach would always say when we were running. It has always been recommended by coaches throughout my running career that it is extremely important to look forward towards the ground a couple feet ahead. Benefits include better posture, easier decision making, and keeps you focused --with you eye on the prize.
Failed attempts at projects and investments, along with the painful love strike-outs, among other mishaps cause us to look down, when in those times is when we should maintain our focus fixed on the goals and horizon ahead to lead us out of those dark moments. The obstacles, difficulties and strains of life’s wear and tear on us make giving up a tempting option. At times we get bogged down with our very present current situation, but looking up and slightly forward could be just the perspective shift that we were yearning. 

Don’t overdo it: 
Hard part about this is making the distinction between overdoing it and pushing your limits. That’s where having  a plan to guide you is always beneficial. Signs of overdoing it may be constant fatigue that drains all your energy stores. You may experience signs from feeling easily irritable or  unable to stay focused/centered, to more drastic situations like injuries or even illness. As runners we will constantly struggle with the questions: Am I doing too much? or Am I doing enough? The answer lies in listening to our hears and bodies. Unfortunately, when testing for TOO MUCH vs ENOUGH, it's a grade that we can only give ourselves when we are able to strip away the mess that surrounds our lives and get to our core. 
Whether its food, training, loving, spending, nagging,..OVERDOing  things is never a good game plan. As the saying goes, “Everything in moderation”, is the best plan of action, though most times easier said than done. Especially as runners, we are known to have “go-overboard” kind of personalities. No one is perfect, and maybe its a weakness that you too, like myself, need to work on.

Don't Give Up:

NO MATTER WHAT! I would always hear from my coach: If someone is going to beat  you, make sure that they die trying! If you have a rough run you know you need to train harder. If you struggle in a triathlon, you know you need to increase your training.  If you do bad on a test you know that you need to study more. If you get a low evaluation at work, you need to prepare more. If
you get in a fight, you need to make-up. BUT you never just quit...never just give up, surrender, or lose hope for a good outcome.
Definition of give up (v)
 Dictionary 
  1. surrender: to surrender or admit defeat
  2. hand over somebody or something: to hand over or part with somebody or
    something
  3. lose hope for somebody or something: to stop hoping for a good outcome with
    regard to somebody or something
Society has gotten so used to seeing it’s members do so (just give up), that it’s had to embrace the culture. We are surrounded by people that make excuses for not living out their dreams, people that have settled to do what they should instead of what they were meant to BE, and millions who are too comfortable with the status quo to challenge it.
Every run we take we are working on breaking through these DON’Ts. We are practicing habits that will not only make us stronger runners but stronger people. We are working on our weaknesses- whether it’s endurance, speed, leg cadence, our kick, or our listen skills, ability to forgive, willingness to allow ourselves to be loved, or having the courage to trust. Every time we look up we are reminded that it may be too late to change where we are stepping at the current second but we are just in time to make better decisions as to  what ground our next footplant will strike. Steering clear of these DON'Ts may lead to more fulfilling running experiences and who knows, may also lead to happier, more peace-filled lives.
 
                                                                                                                                                                        -Happy Growing =)
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Look up...You aren't swimming alone out there.

10/17/2013

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Yesterday was a day filled with mixed emotions and lots of thought provoking, tear jerking, questioning and reflecting. By five o'clock I knew the only way to relieve some of the heaviness weighing on my heart would be to take my emotions out for a nice long open water swim.

When I first got out there I completely forgot about everything that had transpired throughout the day. I could only focus on getting my breathing and kicking into a good rhythm. Taken back by the beautiful sunset I was getting to witness at water level, I knew that this was exactly what I needed.

Throughout the swim I would often find myself either going towards shore or heading out towards the sunset. I would try and swim in a straight line but I would often have to look up and correct my direction. On the way out I didn't really have a good focal point (which made things a little harder) but on the way back I was using a the biggest building in the Brickell area to guide me which made things much easier (though I still did swerve).

By the time I was making my way to the starting point, the sun was spectacularly setting with a bright red hue that almost made it seem as if Miami was burning. Only problem was that I was quickly starting to notice the water getting darker. The group of swimmers had spread out a lot and so there were points where I felt all alone.  That's when I stopped to tread water for a second and look around for the other swim caps. They were all still out there. From water level I couldn't really see them but as I lifted my head a little more, the kaleidoscope of colored swim caps appeared and disappeared before me.

I came to the conclusion (at about the 3rd booey from the finish) that it's okay to swerve, lose sight of your focal point momentarily, even panic when you feel all alone in an ocean that is quickly getting darker....as long as  in those moments we  try lifting our head a little more to notice that we are actually surround by many others---just like us, going in the same direction, with their eyes on the same goals. We are not alone on this journey. And sometimes, all it takes for us to regain perspective is a little pause, a couple seconds of treading water, for us to be able to continue confidently in the direction we were headed. 
#justkeepswimming #lookup #lookaround #harddays #theraputictraining #itsofficial
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#tbt Marathon Reflection

10/17/2013

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Since today is throw-back Thursday (#tbt), I thought I'd repost a reflection that I wrote back in 2012. A little background before you read the post. At that time, I was a couple days away from running the LA MARATHON, my first (and only to date) marathon-EVER. I had also just gotten into a head-on collision with another biker that sent me to the hospital, the FIRST EVENING that my son was spending the weekend with his dad proceeding our very recent separation. That was a loaded sentence...Did you get all that?
Enjoy...

Here's the Re-Post:

So this morning, a friend (Brittany) sent me an email that really made my day! She sent me a PDF of a presentation she saw...where the subject was RESILIENCE. She told me: "Each of us has our own story, our own setbacks and our own triumphs...and its all apart of our journey through the "human condition. Its amazing to see how resilient humans are and can be."
So I looked up the definition of RESILIENCE and this is what I found: Getting stuff done when s *** (aka poop) happens!
(keep in mind I have a 2 year old YAK BACK that records and repeats everything I say, so I must
now START SPELLING things...lol)

What a great word! Seriously!
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Resilience truly is the ability to recover or adjust to misfortune or change (I don't know about the easily part)....and I hope that it means the capability of a strained body to recover--to bounce back--after being subjected to all kinds of stress-- like ASPHFAULT, ANOTHER BODY, and NO SLEEP!! 
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This slide was so beautiful I just had to share it all! Resilience is what enables us not only to survive but to thrive despite our changing environment. That's the thing about CHANGE...it's the only CONSTANT IN OUR LIVES. Nothing ever remains the same....I guess that's why my blog's description says:
IN ONE MINUTE, MY WORLD CHANGED! NOW I BEGIN TELLING MY STORY OF HOW I CHANGED WITH IT. 
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There are a lot of things that I thought I would never be able to do, but just as this marathon keeps proving to me, THE HUMAN CONDITION is INCREDIBLE....I'm amazed at what I have been able to achieve and continue to do besides the emotional and physical setbacks. I don't want to be a person that is constantly blaming those circumstances that surround me...for my inability to live a fulfilling life! It's always our choice! It's our choice to thank those around us who give us the opportunity to stop everything and start over from scratch. It's our choice to look at the things that are making us suffer or causing internal conflict when we look in the mirror and CHANGE that about OURSELVES. We are the only ones that should be amazed at who see see staring back at us in the mirror every morning (wink wink).
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As the reality of this marathon creeps closer and the pain from my bike accident 14 days ago still hasn't
allowed me to run more than 8 miles...I realize that success and failure are subjective. Sunday morning's race will be run to push my limits--obviously the physical ones, but my limits of courage as well. I'll be
needing a MONUMENTAL amount of courage for this next chapter as one story ends and another one beautifully begins. I will need courage to not back out, and NOT GIVE UP on myself, on my goals, on my dreams, and on the future that I see! I need courage to continue to love my life and be thankful for all the amzing people in it who challenge me everyday to BE BETTER. 
"Each of us has our own story, our own setbacks and our own triumphs...
and its all apart of our journey..."   
                                                                   
 -Brittany Love Brome
I hope that you all get to experience a "MARATHON" challenge that will force you to PUSH YOUR LIMITS....a challenge that will humble you and at the same time help give you a LIVING reminder of what RESILIENCE truly means!
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With that said....HERE's
to an amazing MARATHON--rain or shine!
- Happy Marathoning!
Originally posted: Expecting the Unexpected March 16, 2012
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What happened to my belly?

9/18/2013

2 Comments

 
A couple days ago, while doing the IRUN Bike/Run Workout, a photographer, Andres Hernandez, clicked away at some pictures. When the pictures were released, everyone photographed immediately started changing their Facebook profile pictures and "liking" away at the posts, while I found myself questioning if I even wanted my picture tagged, not because of the quality of the photo, but simply because of the image I was seeing, didn't match the image I wanted to see. I called my sister (who's a therapist- very convenient to have in the family) and asked her: What happened to my belly?
Our conversation got me thinking (and writing)...

Belly Reflection:

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I am a proud mommy of an energetic and loving 3.5 year old boy. I would not change him for any 6 pack in the world, but let's face it. As mommies, the changes in our bodies don't just last the 40-weeks of pregnancy...but a long time after!
 
There are a fortunate few who's bodies return to normal within weeks like my friend, Irene, who is 9 weeks post-partum and has her stomach looking like this (see Picture to the right)!  Don't feel bad if you find yourself clenching your teeth or you realize that you haven't had even one kid and your stomach doesn't look like that. In her defense she does eat very healthy, works out, and is a strong believer in HERBALIFE products....but still IS 9 WEEKS POST-PARTUM!!!

But anyway, back to the point of all this, even though there are a few fortunate women, there are others of us who take a lot longer to get back into our PRE-MOMMY bodies, or at least really close to them.

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Irene Gonzalez: Momma of 2 and who's second child is 9 weeks old!!
During the 9 months of pregnancy and a long time after we leave the hospital with our new bundles of joy, we continuously undergo emotional, mental ,and physical changes. 

Our bodies take a hit, growing in every direction, our hips widen (which could be helpful for running), and our joints become lose. With all the physical changes, our self-esteem, our confidence dwindles, especially if our definition of "going out" is getting dressed up to go to the grocery store, and a "good day" is one in which no food was spilled on the floor, naps were successfully taken, and/or spit-up doesn't adorn the backs of our shirts--Who am I kidding, if those 3 happened the same day it would be ONE FOR THE BOOKS!!! Our priorities also switch; "me" time sometimes gets swapped into "we" time- and by sometimes I mean a lot of the time. Our dietary and lifestyle changes bring on eating every two hours, or reduced hours of (beauty) sleep. Working out seems to just inevitable fall off the list of THINGS TO DO.
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Look at where at the organs go in a mommy belly- incredible!
KEEP READING--I'm not hating on pregnancy or mommyhood!
Au contraire, I'm not only amazed by how our bodies are able to create these babies with our own body tissues, cells, nutrients and energy. I am also blown away by how we are able to recover, re-adjust, and rebuild into stronger women,  physically, mentally, and emotionally--from organ placement to our mental/emotional strength.

If you have a couple minutes, I'd like to share my journey...

April 2009 to Today (September 2013)- I was very fortunate to have enjoyed a smooth pregnancy...so much so that I actually didn't even know I was preggers until about 18 weeks- for the math deficient, that's around 4 and 1/2 months, up to which point I had been running anywhere from 45mins to 1 hour a day! I continued to run through up until about month 7 when my belly started feeling too uncomfortable to run in and so I would just walk or get on the elliptical and dream of the days in the near future when I would be running on Town Lake ( in Austin) with my baby boy. I gained weight within the normal range, most of which I packed on in the last couple weeks of pregnancy. 

After a couple weeks (6 to be exact), my OBGYN cleared me to begin working out "lightly"--a term I honestly had never really internalized well. I knew it would be difficult to get back in shape but I had no idea the BASE BUILDING that awaited me.

I remember, in those first couple weeks I would have to resort to 1 minute running/ 3 minute walking workouts for 10, 15, 20 minutes at most and I would finish feeling like I had completed Mile repeats at 5:45-5:50 pace! Body pain, frustration (that something that had always been soooo easy was now this hard), and discomfort flooded me. I would shortly find out that my 26 hour natural delivery had left my coccyx dislocated and all the relaxin in my body from pregnancy and breastfeeding was keeping my joints lose and susceptible to injuries.

With the help of physical therapy, I worked my body slowly into minimal running shape. Some days I would be so winded I would barely make it to the end of the apartment complex before my first walk break. But I had to constantly remind myself that those days wouldn't last forever. STEP BY STEP, DAY BY DAY the runs started getting a TINY bit better. And I celebrated EVERY TINY IMPROVEMENT along the way!

The play-by-play...

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In March 2010 at the Texas Round- Up 5k, I ran an effort-filled, 100% of my energy run of a 5k in 27:34 to set the START bench mark of my POST-PARTUM RACING CAREER. Yes it was the slowest time I think I had ever run in my life, but I was so happy to have gotten my training up to where I could actually FINISH 3 miles without stopping. I thought it was a great start!
In May 2010, a couple days after my son turned 4 months we ran the Daisy 5k in Austin, and won the Stroller Division.

In November 2010  The day my son was turning 10 months old, I completed the San Diego 1/2 Marathon in 1:32:something ( about 1 minute off my pre-pregnancy half marathon time from the ING Miami Marathon in January 2009, which was a lot faster than I expected but made me EXTREMELY HAPPY!!!

In 2011, my little family moved from Austin to LA and for the first time in I would say, my life, I lost focus on training. Life got busy and running/training fell off the "to-do List". I didn't stop running completely but I did fall off course for bit. In July 2011 I completed the Napa to Sonoma 1/2 Marathon in a very painful 1:39:04...which was the direct result of not preparing for the race.

At the beginning of 2012 I recommitted myself to the sport that had guided me through the good, the bad, and the ugly. Through the most trying of (personal) times, I latched onto my new training group, my best friends, and took on a big challenge- training for the LA MARATHON.

In March 2012 I ran the LA MARATHON in 4:01:00 (with 3 bathroom breaks and picture photo opts with my son  who was cheering for me along the course). I crossed that finish line physically DONE; Fearing sitting for I didn't know if I'd be able to EVER get up again, but happy, and confident because I had finished, I had faced a fear, I had given myself miles to process the new changes that would be coming my way.

In April 2012 I moved to Miami with my son and that's when my running got the KICK START it needed to switch into HIGHGEAR. Being home and around people that had seen me grow up running, who's memories of me were on podiums, and chasing down leaders in races.

June 2012 at the Twlight 5k in South Miami I ran 20:27. There I bumped into an old running friend from High School, Paola Reategui, who had become a mommy too (just 6 months before!) She crossed the finish in 18:55!! That day I realized that "I just had a baby" excuse was no longer applicable.  We began to train together the very next afternoon at Tropical Park. I still remember that we met up for a track workout and I chuckled as we got on the line, it felt like it had been an eternity since I had lined up on a red track with my heart pounded out of my chest like that....at that moment I looked over to the side of the track at our boys in their strollers and thought to myself....WE ARE NUTS!

By November 2012 at the Turkey Trot 5k in Tropical Park, Paola, inspiringly crossed the finish with a time of 17:52 and then I crossed the finish line at 18:57!!

Now we are in 2013 with many races to come, new challenges to overcome, train schedule adjustments to make, emotional rollercoasters to ride, and LOTS OF MILES TO COVER!

So all in all, I'd be lying if I didn't say that there tummy's out there that I would like mine to resemble even just slightly....but I love what my body has been able to do, the times I've been able to work to get down to, and  more importantly the most specialest human it was able to create. I haven't written off achieving my former stomach for
the simple fact that it's hard and it's been a long process. I know it's a journey that I am working towards...chipping away at everyday.

10 Month Pre- Partum:
For those of you doing the math, yes, this was a couple weeks before I got pregnant.
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During pregnancy:
8 months preggers...yes, my stomach got even bigger the last month.
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3.5 Years Post-Partum:
The image that sparked this entire reflection.
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www.andreshernandez.us Copyright © 2013 Andres Hernandez Studio Inc. All rights reserved. Preview only.
The stretch marks are warrior marks that remind us that we have stretched beyond our physical limits (in so many ways) in order to bring a precious life into this world. Only God know how many stretch marks our hearts now have. Motherhood and Running have common lessons to teach us...PATIENCE and LOVE will get you through it all...STEP BY STEP! I hope that today you embrace the "YOU" that you are looking at in the mirror...I know I will be working on doing the same.
Next time you find yourself asking:
"What happened to my belly?"
I expect your answer to be something along the lines of:
NOTHING SHORT OF A MIRACLE!
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Goal, Support System, and Reason---CHECK

9/15/2013

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Over the years I've run for different reasons. It started as therapy, due to leg defects at birth, then it evolved into an identity, then an outlet, and soon it became my eyes. At some points I just went through the motions because I had been doing it for so long. At other points, I did it because I felt it was the only thing I had control over in my life or the only familiar thing left. I've run for people that physically can't, I've run to prove points, I've also run simply because I can and it feels right. Now, as the training for the MIAMI MARATHON has officially begun, I'm starting to think about the reasons that I will be competing on February 2nd 2014.
 
Without a clear, strong goal,  well-based support system, and highly motivating reason, it's  hard to stay committed to your training, even harder lace up for workouts before the sun comes up, and  close to impossible to roll out of bed on the weekends.

This coming February, at the Miami 1/2 Marathon, I'll be representing TEAM SOLERUNNERS and running to support a movement that some pretty incredible friends of mine are investing their lives in: ROOTS OF HOPE.

Roots of Hope was founded in 2003 by a group of college students. It began with an interest in Cuba, an interest in getting to know their roots, their counterparts on the island and their history. It started with a conference between Georgetown and Harvard’s Cuban-American student groups entitled Raices de Esperanza (Roots of Hope). Since then it has grown into a movement of young people, from all over the world, working to help their counterparts on the island by providing resources, information and solidarity.
I have been impressed with the real love they are bringing to real people miles off our coasts here in Miami, who may be inspired to believe in something better, a brighter future, a different tomorrow because of the work their organization does. In the last couple years I've caught a glimpse of the lighter fluid fueling the fire in their eyes. The world needs more people like them---- people that stand for change and more importantly, stand for HOPE!

What's your GOAL?
"Shoot for the moon, cause if you miss, you'll still land among the stars." Cheezy as it may sound, it's true! DREAM BIG! Imagine the possibilities of where your training can take you if you commit to putting in the time. Try to take some time out to formaulate a GOAL that's a little more complex than: I want to FINISH or I want to RUN. It can range from setting yourself the goal that you will NOT WALK or you hit a certain time.

Who's your Support System? SURROUND yourself with people who believe in you, will encourage you to make the better decisions, will keep you in line, will keep you accountable, and will be there with you every step of the way! There lots of options out there so don't DO IT ALONE!  It's a long journey and it becomes so much more than just a race when you see teammates and training partners turn into lifelong friends and family. TEAM FDC & SoleRunners offers you a structured training guide, group runs, resources from what should or shouldn't go into your mouth to what you should and shouldn't put on your feet.

What's your Reason?
Use this race to inspire a friend, you set an example for your family (especially your kids), and make those miles count double! Run for Roots is just ONE of many worthwhile causes. Just like this, there are many amazing organizations that are changing the world around us, LOOK FOR ONE has special meaning to you, in which you can help.

Well I have my goal, my support system, and my reason... so I'm ready for the kick off of this 1/2 Marathon Training Journey....Question now is, Are you? 

Run for Roots is an opportunity for every participant in the US to form a connection with a young person on the island, and for our counterparts in Cuba to feel our support and friendship first-hand. The new year has always been a time to reground and refocus: what better way to do so than to support Roots of Hope and get in great shape in the process? We welcome runners, joggers, and even walkers to sign up. and will have a comprehensive training program to help everyone stay focused and on track. We will also be pairing runners by city to offer support and running buddies. In the end, all of our work pushes towards a day when youth in Cuba can freely participate in open exchanges about their ideas, hopes, dreams, and realities.

VISIT RUN FOR ROOTS

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    Teacher, Author, Mother, and Runner. As I try to balance it all, I sometimes ask myself why I run. The Ironic things is that the runs themselves hold all the answers.

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