Monday Morning Gratitude

Early morning workouts. There is nothing like starting the day with a good sweat.

Sunrises. Beautiful.

Hand me downs. My friend Jess gave me a pink running jacket I also use for cycling. It's bright so people see me, it keeps me warm, and covers my hands just enough so they don't freeze.

Hoody's Goody's: Jason's Birthday Cupcakes

Homemade Chocolate and Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Happy Birthday Jason!!! I love you!!! :) 

Disney Marathon Race Recap

After 4 hours of sleep, I woke up at 3AM to the beautiful sound of Jess' voice.  I grabbed my clothes at got dressed within minutes.  I had no headache, ear ache, or stomach ache. I was READY TO GO!!!!!

I applied my sports slick in all the right places and was sure not to forget my gluteal folds (you will be happy to know I had ZERO chaffing!).  Jess' boyfriend, "cyclist" Jason, met us at the hotel and was kind of enough to play my sherpa and helped me with a few things.  We headed out the door and walked right on to the bus that took us to the race area.  We headed over to the bag drop to meet up with the rest of the team.  

I immediately noticed Coach Sway was not there, Trung said she had the flu.  It just didn't feel the same without her there.  I grabbed my phone to text her and she had already sent me some encouraging texts.  I wasn't expecting this because I knew she was sick and most likely upset that the race she trained so hard for, she couldn't run, but it is Sway.  Sway is a wonderful coach always supportive, giving us the tools to succeed, and establishes an environment focused on fun, celebrating each success, and helping each one of us believe in the endless possibilities -- of course she would text her athletes as she is getting sick, she is amazing. :)

We waited a few minutes and finally snapped a group shot.  The lighting and the tent didn't give us the best back drop for a group photo, but you could still see the excitement on our faces.  

We made the 15-20 minutes walk to the corrals and once we arrived you could feel the energy and excitement.  There was great music and interviews with different people.  Each corral was sent off by Mickey, Goofy, and fireworks!!!!  We were in corral E, so we didn't actually start until 6am.

I felt good overall, but still felt a little uneasy about my expectations for the race.  The course was packed and we did A LOT of weaving (.53 to be exact!).  I was already hot and sweaty 1/2 mile in.  I knew the heat was going to be a challenge, but I don't think I factored this into my race day time goal as much as I should have.  

I don't have any pictures from the course, but I wish I did.  There was SO MUCH going on.  Jess, Marianne, Wendy and I started off together.  As we made our way to the Magic Kingdom we saw Melissa (but I don't think she saw me... which is why I didn't hear pancakes!) and the Wells' ChEAR squad, and made our way through the castle.  It was around mile 6, when Jess and Marianne said they were stopping to use the bathroom.  I kept running.  I still wanted to try to meet my goal and I didn't need to stop.  Wendy was about 50 feet in front of me, but there was a sharp left turn ahead and I lost her.  I didn't see her after that.  So, there I was... running without my training buddies.  

There were bands, people cheering, characters, and so many volunteers -- all cheering with great enthusiasm and spirit.  It felt great.  It made me want to spectate another race soon.  We saw a lot of signs that said "I am proud of you stranger."  I saw a younger man with a sign that said "You are amazing."  Looking back, the support of the spectators really helped me be content with my performance.  

I realized at the half marathon point, that I wasn't going to meet my goal.  I wasn't really disappointed that I was going to be slower than I wanted, but I was sad I left my friends.  I slowed down, but they still weren't catching up to me.  Jess was wearing her red running crops, so I just kept thinking "red  hot pants."  I was walking backwards looking for those "red hot pants", but I had no luck.   Around mile 16, I started wondering if somehow they passed me, but there was just no way I could miss Jess' "red hot pants."  I slowed down A LOT at that point, hoping they would catch up to me.  I found Linda, a teammate spectating at mile 17, and I used her phone to call Marianne.  No answer.  Great.  She said she hadn't seen them yet and that gave me hope!  And then... I SAW THEM.  Jess' red hot pants.  I was SO happy, I had the biggest sense of relief.  I not only wanted to run with my friends, but I needed them.  Jess had lost Marianne at the last water station, she stopped to refill her camelbak and figured Marianne was ahead of her.  We sped up some, but we didn't see her.  We decided to call her and ended up stopping to wait for her to catch up.  

We then were able to run through the ESPN baseball field, waved to Raquel (another wonderful teammate!) and got on the scoreboard! We continued to mile 20, the location of the 20th anniversary surprise.  There were huge, glittery, character puppets, Disney music playing, and Mickey, Goofy, and Donald of course!  

We then saw Lorri and Keith, teammates of ours, and they had ICE.  I am so used to having ICE and sponges at HOT races, but Disney only had one sponge stop.  I quickly stuffed ice in my shorts and hat and had them spray cold water on me.  It was so refreshing.  It's so awesome to have supportive teammates.  

We only had 6 miles to go and we pushed ourselves to do the best we could.  They had been doing 5:1 the whole time, but we weren't feeling that great so we decided to drop down to 4:1 and then 3:1 and then finally ended up running 2:1.  It was hard, but we pushed each other. We made it to Hollywood Studios and the energy was INTENSE.  We ended up running 4 minutes through the middle of the park because of the great spectators and then it happened.... the GLORIOUS surprise just after mile 23.  CHOCOLATE.  DARK CHOCOLATE. HERSHEY'S MINIS.  I literally told everyone at that station that I loved them.  We made our way to the boardwalk and Jess got a burst of energy because she knew the Lululemon team and her Mom would be close.  We finally saw them closer to Epcot.  They were loud and awesome.  

We entered Epcot and at this point had a little more than 1 mile left.  I was having a hard time not crying.  I couldn't let myself cry, because I had to breath.  I had to focus all my energy on finishing this race.  That last mile went by so fast.  All I remember is running past the choir, making the turn, and seeing the  HUGE CROWD, and then... the finish line.  Jess and I took off and sprinted to the finish line.  WE DID IT! We ARE MARATHONERS!!!!!

I looked over to my left and I saw Jason.  I told him all along it was okay if he didn't come to this race (because he is at EVERY other race), but I missed him.  I texted him at 4AM and asked him to come to the finish line.... and he did. :) 

Jess and I grabbed ice, drinks, and food, took a race photo, and sat.  It felt good to sit.  We lost Marianne towards the end, so we waited for her to finish and we took an after race photo shoot (for the blog of course)!

Look at this BLING!!! It's HEAVY!

With my girls! :) We DID IT!!!!

The Wells Family

Group Photo :)

 I love him. :)

I headed home and got in an ice bath.  Uncomfortable, but worth the benefits.  It took me a few hours to really want to eat a meal.  We ended up going to Mellow Mushroom, which is a typical post race meal for me and it was amazing.  

I do some of my best reflecting when I am running, biking, and swimming.  I learn so much during this time, especially during races.  This is one of the reasons why I want to record training on this blog...    

I ran my first Marathon on December 5, 2010 with a time of 5:16:29 and I AM PROUD of myself.  I IGNORED I did this race, because I was upset with my time.  After running this second race, I appreciate my first race so much more.  This was the Palm Beaches Marathon, a small race with very little spectators.  It was hot and I did it by myself.  I pushed myself and I could barely walk after.  I was in excruciating pain and I pushed myself as hard as I could.  I trained by myself and I did this race by myself.  This is why I cried towards the end of this race.  Two years later, I finally realized what I had accomplished when I crossed that finish line of my first marathon.

My second marathon was so much fun, because I allowed myself to do what I could that day.  It is okay to lean on others for support, determination of two people is greater than one.  I went with it and it ended up being a wonderful race.  I will not ignore my successes, even if it took me longer than I wanted.  I was out there and I didn't give up.  I ran when I didn't want to and I wouldn't let negative thoughts make me stop.  I am not a speed demon and I am okay with that.  Don't get me wrong, I want to be better and faster, but not every race is meant to be a PR.  I do these endurance events for not only physical benefit, but the personal benefit.  I am a better person because of the things I learn when I train and do these races.  I love the way I feel and I love succeeded at something that is difficult.... and I am gonna celebrate!!!!!!!!! 

Could I have done things different during my training? SURE.  Will I try to fix my flaws in my training for the next event I train for? YES.  But, I will NOT focus on "what I could have done better" this time.  Instead, I am going to celebrate.  

I FINISHED THE DISNEY MARATHON WITH MY FRIENDS WITH A TIME OF 5:47:05 AND I AM SO PROUD OF US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Joy is what happens to ourselves when we realize just how good things are."

Pre Race Nerves

I started feeling really anxious for the race on Monday when I woke up with stomach pain.  Illness has been spreading quickly at work.  I tried to take it easy as much as possible.   I really tried not to worry about "what if I was sick for the race?"  I literally was fighting those thoughts out of my mind.  I luckily felt better the next morning and went to track, but Thursday I woke up with headache and pain in my ears.  Great.  I accepted the fact that I couldn't control if I would get sick or not.  I decided to focus on rest and relaxing as much as possible.

I think I was most concerned about my performance.  At my first Marathon, I wanted to do under 5 hours, but my secret goal was 4:45.  I did not succeed at those goals, but I also did not complete the peak of my training or my tapering correctly.  I have been very consistent with my training not only for this Marathon, but for the past year.  This increased my expectations of what I should be able to do.  In the back of my mind, I had to do better.  This was obviously stressing me out, a lot.  I was able to run 8 800's at 4:10 pace, was running my last few long runs at 10:20-10:45 pace comfortably.  I HAVE to do better.  I will do better, right?  

Disney Marathon Expo

It all worked out that Marianne, Jenny, Jess, and I were able to meet at the expo Thursday after work.  It was very crowded, but it was an exciting atmosphere.  We picked up our bibs, got our shirts, and took some pictures.  Jess was able to change her corral into the "E" corral with Marianne and I with her OUC PR.  

The expo craziness!

Marianne and I signed up at the EXACT same time so we could get close numbers.  Dorks. 

I was really glad to hit the expo on Thursday, I was starting to feel real anxious and that was just the beginning.....To be continued. 

Sunday's Gratitude

Cruise control.  Nothing like hitting a button and not having to use your feet after a long work day, triathlon, or a marathon.

Ice.  Anti-inflammatory, cooling agent, and analgesic.  Feels glorious after a long run.  

My boyfriend for being there at the finish line of my Marathon.  A race without my Jay Boogy just doesn't feel the same.  :)

Dark Chocolate.  Do I even need to explain?  At mile 22 of Disney Marathon.  

Spectators.  I appreciate everyone, but I am especially grateful for my Tri with Sway teammates, Marianne's family, Jess's Mom, Jay Boogy, my sister(s) following on the internet and texting Marianne, and last but not least LULULEMON. 

Teammates.  Nothing like pushing each other to the end of a marathon when we are all in pain, HOT, and tired.  

What are you thankful for today?

Tuesday's Gratitude

The sunshine.  I love that it is January and the sun shines almost daily.  We are truly spoiled as Floridians.

Coming home from a long day of work and a good yoga session to a home cooked meal prepared by my man aka Jay Boogy.

Showers.  It just feels good to take a shower.

10 Year Vision

"Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe." -Oprah Winfrey.

Last weekend, my teammate Jess organized a Vision and Goal workshop for our team.  In the end, a vision of your life, along with 1 year, 5 year, and 10 year goals in health, career, and personal areas are established.  The goal is to be audacious and not create easy goals.  While personal and health goals were easy for me to write, I was almost stumped on my career goals.  I had worked so hard to become a Physical Therapist, a career I chose when I was in 7th grade.  I almost felt a little sick when I realized I am almost completely negelecting one area of my life.... and I didn't like it.

"All endurance athletes are running away from something inside of themselves."

When I first read this quote awhile back, I knew that for me this meant running away from my anxiety, but now I realize it means running away from my fear of failure and vulnerability.  While I have been focusing on being a better swimmer, cyclist, and runner, I feel like I have neglected other areas of my life.   It is clear to me during our workshop that I cannot quit hiding behind my 1 hour swims, 2 hour runs, and 3 hour rides.  Training for a triathlon is no excuse to neglect or avoid any areas of my life I need to improve including relationships, my career, and my fears.  

"I think we do Ironman for the same reasons...We want to see if we can.  We want to know what we are capable of.  We want to ignore all the warnings and find out for ourselves.  And whenever I cross that finish line, I know it's what I was meant to do." -Jordan Rapp

In the first 6 months of triathlon training, I learned a lot about myself, worked on myself from the inside out.  Something changed and my training became a crutch.  It's taken me a few weeks to realize what has been going on, several conversations with my teammates, and a goal workshop.  I will NOT be an athlete running away from something, but an athlete using my training to help me be the best person I can be.  2013 will be a year where I will see what I am capable of not only my ability as an triathlete, but also in my career, health, and personal life.

2013.  A year of endless possibilities.  :)

 

New Socks

I have a feeling this is going to 

be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.