2017 OMaD - Week 52

Hi everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! By the time you see this it'll be almost a week since Christmas. Where it the time going? Tomorrow is 2018, and I can't believe it!

Found on https://ilovetorun.org/ebibs?type=new

December 24 -30 

Day 358:  6.52 Miles - Christmas Eve Run! My training schedule had me down for 6.0 miles. I automatically decided that it had to be a 10k and tacked on the 0.20 in my head. However, when I ran further into the park I miscalculated my turnaround and I ended up at 6.52. I felt a little badass about it. It sure helped me mentally knowing that my mom was making my favorite cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning and there is pie to be had too! Anyway, back to the run... It was COLD and WINDY this morning! I'm glad that I always back extra layers in the winter season and I pulled out a polar fleece vest to wear since it was windier than expected, which made the wind chill even worse! I was really glad to be back home in the warmth.

We had planned on staying home all day but the Hubs had realized that he left one of his knives at the restaurant. Even though we knew someone wouldn't take it we both knew he wouldn't rest easy until it was home. So we visited work and I got to see the kitchen and meet some of his coworker and our friend Chef MM. After hanging out there for a bit we had lunch at Waffle House. Growing up my family and I called it Awful Waffle House cause we ate their often when traveling. I couldn't remember why till later in the day. My tummy was achy. Yep. Now I remembered! So, pretty much after grabbing something more for my Dad's gift, we rested till we were hungry for our new traditional Christmas Eve dinner - Christmas Quesadillas! Then we wrapped presents while watched Home Alone, another tradition!

Day 359: 0 Miles - It's CHRISTMAS! Leading up to this day it didn't feel like Christmas even though I was surrounded by holiday music, decor, movies and wrapping paper. It just didn't feel like it. But Christmas morning, I woke up smiling! This year was my family's turn to have Christmas morning with us, so I eventually got M out of bed (I literally had to jump on the bed to get him up!) and we got ready to go. It was a great Christmas! The family had fun. After presents with my family, we drove across town to M's parents house for round two. After gifts were exchanged we also showed his parents our wedding photos. Then... it was back down to my parents' house for the rest of the day and Christmas dinner! At the end of the day we were back home. I gave our cat a catnip toy that my mother-in-law made for him (needless to say that he didn't come to bed last night... I think he was up all night!). M also gave me another gift... a Runner's World calendar and a two year subscription to RW magazine! Overall, it was great day!

Day 360: 3.14 Miles - After M went to work I got ready for my run. I wimped out on the cold and got on a treadmill at the gym. The run was definitely slow going at the beginning. I was just plain tired and I ate so much sweets yesterday (which really wasn't, but at the same time more than I should've... but it was Christmas!). Especially during the last mile I finally got into a groove. I was hoping to go with 4 miles, but mentally I don't think I could've gotten that far. Also right at the 5k mark two other people entered the gym and took it over with their music (I was listening to Netflix) and they turned off all the ceiling fans, even the one behind me... So. I was ready to go before I started to say something.

The rest of the day I was a out of sorts and tired. I managed to do the grocery shopping without the list (I lost the list, but I only missed two items!). Then I hung out with my mom and puppy for the day before heading home to make dinner.

Day 361: 0 Miles - Back to work! It was a slow day, but not as miserable as the days leading up to Christmas. After work I got to hang out with my besties for our Christmas get together! Oh, and I've been eyeing the weather since we're now in winter mode here in North Texas. So far it looks like I may have to run my 7.5 miles on the treadmill - it's showing that Sunday will have AM showers with a high of 38. Yikes! 

Day 362: 0 Miles - I totally slept in this morning, and didn't go for my run. I told myself that I could either run on the treadmill after worker later tonight or tomorrow morning since I'm free from work. Basically... when I got home... I decided to run the next morning.

Day 363: 3.11 Miles - I accidentally slept in, but since it's my day off with no plans until later in the afternoon, it was OK! I got to the park and ran my usual 5k. I work an old pair of fleece lined leggings and remembered why I didn't were them often - the waist band is thin and when I run it rides down, which makes the crotch lower itself to about my thigh unless I tug on it. Ugh!

Day 364: 0 Miles - So, I've been watching the weather for tomorrow morning. Depending on the report it's either going to be horrible with winter mix or not so horrible. I can't figure out if I need to run 7.5 inside or outside yet. We'll see what I end up doing on the last day of 2017!

Day 365: 7.58 Miles - Last run of the year!!!! I woke up half expecting freezing drizzle/flurries swirling outside my window. What I saw instead was a very grim and grey morning with strong winds. I entertained the thought of adding on about 3 layers of clothes to run outside, but I stopped myself. Nope. I was going to the gym. I hopped onto the treadmill by the window (which has been typical spot this past month), and I couldn't help but think... "Man, it isn't freezing drizzling out there so I should be running outside." But I had to tell myself to shut up. I watched two episodes of Supernatural on Netflix. Man, I tell you. I use to watch the reruns on TNT, but it's been years. Now when I watch it I go, "This is kinda creepy! Should I be watching this?" Lol!

After my run (finish time 1:43:37) and I ate a good breakfast of leftover rice, roasted sweet potatoes, red onions and grape tomatoes with two fried eggs. Yum! M didn't have to go into work until later in the afternoon so we got to watch and episode of The Punisher while we cooked some soup for later tonight and tomorrow. In the afternoon, I plan on spending time with the family!

Total Miles this week: 20.35 Miles Total

Miles to Date: 402.77 Miles Total for 2017!!! 

Do you have any Christmas traditions to share?

Catch you guys on the flip side! Happy New Year! 
 

2018 Running and Health Goals

I can't believe it's that time of year again! Really? So soon? I feel like did this not too long ago, but 2017 flew by quickly! I had a good year even though it wasn't loaded with runs and races. I got married to my best friend, which is good enough for me! Now... it's onto 2018!

I've never been really successful with the whole New Year Resolutions thing, especially prior to running. Perhaps it's because I didn't have accountability and I didn't have the drive or discipline to keep it up. But I know that I have achieved some of my goals before. For example, successfully running a full marathon not once but twice so far in my running career.

Even though I wouldn't view this as a "how-to" post by any means, I do recommend that if you want to achieve something or change something in the coming year that you should...

Call it a Goal and not a Resolution 

That may not mean much, but I feel like a "goal" is more attainable sounding than a "resolution." It's like a mind trick. Just the other day I read the post, "4 Tips for Creating and Achieving Running and Life Goals in 2018" from Coach Debbie Runs, and think she explains/breaks it down much better than I ever would. Her post definitely helped me think about my goals (which I've been pondering everyone so often for the past few months). I loved how she tells you to not be afraid to pick a big goal (BHAG - Big Hairy Audacious Goal), to break it down into smaller goals to help you get to your big goal, get accountability, and that S%*t happens.

So, what are my Goals for 2018? Let's see...


The Big Goal

Run and finish a full marathon (maybe with a PR)
 
Because of the crazy year of wedding planning I opted to not run a full marathon in 2017. Because I had no goal set I kinda let my training go to the side. I'm now in the frame of mind that I want to achieve another full marathon. For a long time I planned/wanted to my third marathon to be my best thus far. That means refocusing on improving my fitness and my health leading up to the big race, and being the best shape that I've been in. Hopefully with that I'll set that PR (Sub 5:50:00) since I'll be working on smaller goals to get me to this point. This may seem a bit much after almost a year sans serious running, but I'm ready to try! If not, at least I finished another marathon!

I haven't picked a marathon out just yet, but so far the BCS Marathon in December is in the running. I've also contemplated the Dallas Marathon, the Metal Saw Marathon (Kingwood), and the Route 66 Marathon. Oh, the choices!

http://gymaaholic.tumblr.com/post/141166560609/
you-dont-notice-it-but-this-workout-is-one-step

The Small Goal Breakdown
My breakdown of my big goal is to improve myself overall. I know there are things that I need to work on to get me there. 

1. Run at least 3 half marathons races leading up to full marathon 
To date the last half marathon I ran was the 2017 Rock 'n' Roll Half in March. That was a less than stellar race because I was actually getting a cold that morning and didn't know it. The weather was hot and miserable, and the ride back on the Dart train was agonizing! Thankfully, I have a do-over chance next March with this race.

I want to run at least 2 halves before which ever marathon I choose. I'd be super excited if I can improve my finish time each time, but I'll be happy to finish strong. I've been contemplating jumping on a deal with Run Project to get discounted entry for four halves, which all would be before a December marathon. If I did that, I'd be at 5 halves, 1 5-miler, 2 5ks and 1 marathon in 2018. Am I ready for that? This is definitely something to seriously consider!

2. Improve Nutrition 
I know I set this as a goal for 2017, but I sucked at it. Like big time sucked at it. With us moving apartments in during the springtime and all the wedding planning during the rest of the year, I was stressed out and eating horribly. I tried my hardest to keep my nutrition in check, but failed miserably. After the wedding we started eating more vegetables and I was watching my portions (until Christmas came along), and I felt so good!

For Christmas I got two cookbooks - The No Meat Athlete and Shalane Flanagan's Run Fast. Eat Slow. that I've cooked from before. I'm definitely going to be utilizing my gifts to their fullest extend. Plus, I've found more blogs to read and learn from. I'm in charge of cooking at home, so it'll be my job to make sure we're eating healthy! Oh, and this includes watching my portions because... well, I married a chef after all!

3. Cross/Strength Train More
This is something I did well when I was training for my first marathon. Basically cause I had no life other than surviving work and letting running occupy the rest of my world. In 2016 for my second it was harder to do. I need to get my upper body (core and higher) into shape, which means hitting the gym and my home kettelbell a lot more. Basically, my training schedule should look like I'm doing some sort of activity every day. If I had the money and time I would consider Camp Gladiator or a real gym, but I'm poor, especially after the wedding. So, I'm determined to do this on my own capabilities and what I have for free.

4. Lose the Fluff 
Now, I know that I should not be setting a goal to basically get skinny. But that being said, I'm hoping with these other goals - improving nutrition and training better - that I'll lose some of the weight/fat that I've gain over the past couple of years. My weight has always been a troubling thing for me. I'm not fat. I'm not thin. You can tell I like my sweets. I  know I may not lose everything like I did the two years that I barely ate anything at all, but I want to trim up and look strong.

5. Remember that I'm Awesome 
I think everyone needs this goal. Every year. We all, especially us girls/ladies, need to tell and see ourselves that we're awesome and shouldn't compare ourselves to anyone else either its physically or in the realm of running achievements. I know that I struggle from time to time, especially when I know that I'm not doing so well fitness and weight wise. Some days I also feel like I'm so far behind on running capabilities because I took practically a year off from serious running compared to my running friends. So, this goal is just a reminder that I've done awesome things in the past and will always do awesome things (and, yeah, probably not-so-awesome things) in the future if I put my mind to it!

Image found on Pinterest -
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/509399407826679956/

My Accountability 
See Dot Run as always served as a way to have accountability, especially when I had no one else a few years back to go to. Now, I have my husband and some of my running friends along with the blog. So, I'm telling you now that you will help my stay accountable and strong!



Well, that's it. I'm gonna try my hardest to make 2018 amazing for me and my life. I know there will be ups and downs, but I'm determined. I'll say it now, by this time next year we're going to revisit this post and see how many of these things we'll cross off in success! Wish me luck!

What are you running and health goals for 2018? 

I wish you all the best in making 2018 awesome!  

And..  

Remember that you are not a failure if you did not achieve the final big goal. If you achieved even some or ALL of your smaller goals you still achieved something and you improved yourself compared to 2017. That along is amazing!

 

2017 OMaD - Week 51

One more week till Christmas! AAAAAAHHH! I'm not ready! We're not ready! Christmas came up just as quickly as Thanksgiving for us. It'll be the new year before you know it!

I'll have to admit that this week I struggled with keeping my sweet tooth in check, especially since I have gobs and gobs of coworkers are sharing holiday treats like its the newest trend. While I appreciate their generosity and holiday spirit, the Scrooge side of me (especially my tummy) is not entirely happy with my lack of strong will!

December 17 - 23

Day 351:  5.11 Miles - I feel like this was a solid run. I stuck to the 1min : 30sec interval running, and it worked out well. Yay!

Day 352: 0 Miles - I did about 20 minutes of strength training with my kettlebell before M woke up. Hee hee! Pretty much the rest of the day was focused on Christmas shopping for the family.

Day 353: 3.24 Miles - I woke 6am to a loud thunderclap. Since then I had trouble getting back to sleep, which completely sucked since by the time my alarm went off I was tiiired. Today was an extremely rainy day, so it was a easy treadmill run at the gym. Even though I prefer running outside, I do like the idea of catching up on a Netflix show while running too. My overall time was around 44 minutes, which is slower than usual for my 5k runs, but treadmill running is different for overall. Next time I'll have to up the speed. Also today, M started his new job! Whoo hoo! I took a picture of him before he left, pretty much just like a mom taking a picture of her kid on the first day of school. Lol! 

Day 354: 0 Miles - Rest day of sorts! I spent this morning at work getting scared about doing the Cross Timbers 5 miler in February. It's a race that my buddy HC talked me into doing (I have yet to sign up for it, but I have the day off) to get me to do something different. I'm worried it's too technical and I'll hurt myself. Or get a lost. Oh, and not to mention I have drive about 1.5 hours to get there (hopefully we'll carpool). At least it's in the winter time so there shouldn't be any bugs or snakes to worry about. Anyway, I googled the heck out of the hiking trial to get more insight, and I FB messaged the Hubs. Basically, at this point I know that I'll join the race as a way to get myself out of my comfort zone and try/learn/earn something new. It's going to be something I'll have to work towards preparing myself for.   

Image via
http://www.gymquotes.co/motivational-quotes/
you-have-what-it-takes-dont-ever-doubt-yourself/

 
 Day 355: 3.12 Miles - I was up and at it a bit early this morning. I forced myself to get out of bed right at 7am. I had a deadline. Apparently, I apartment complex's power was going to shut off for an hour starting at 9:30am. That mean I needed to make sure that I was at the park by 8 to start running and give myself time to get home, eat and shower before this all happens. So! I did. My run went really well. There weren't very many people there, which was really nice. I did have to pee the entire time thanks to the fact Parks and Rec locked the bathrooms for the winter (boo!). The run itself was great, and I'm feeling like 5k is comfortable now. I average around 00:38:00 and some change finish time. I had the thoughts that I could definitely push myself on some runs to improve the time, especially since I did that at my last 5k race earlier this month. Oh, and by the way. The power never went off. Of course.

Day 356:  0 Miles - Last night I tried to make myself go to bed. I was in bed by 10pm, but I couldn't nod off. I eventually started to right when M texted he was coming home from work. But then a huge fight broke out at the corner bar and woke me up. Basically, I hung out with M while he ate and I eventually fell asleep next to him on the couch while watching a show about Bigfoot on Netflix. It was definitely close to 2am when I stumbled a comfy bed. So... fast forward, not too much, to later this morning and I snoozed my alarms so many times that I was a late for work! Needless to say, I did not get any cross-training in.

Day 357: 0 Miles - Last work day before Christmas! I couldn't wait for this day to end! I was very much a grump this morning and most of the day. What was great was my parents stopped by after they picked up their new puppy, and I got to snuggle with her for a few minutes!

Total Miles this week: 11.47 Mile

Miles to Date: 382.42 Miles

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!! 

2016 SeaWeeze... Vancouver!

Hi everyone! Again, this looooong overdue!

I read through this recap before posting, and I cannot believe that I actually did this! It was an amazing trip! I'm so thankful that my best friend JM got to go with me to cheer me on! Plus, the timing was just crazy.... Little did I know that on the Friday that I was gone, walking around the Granville Island Public Market, my main squeeze MS was designing my engagement ring! Ahh!


So here it is...

RECAP! 
Wow! What a trip! I gotta say this was one of the craziest things I have ever done. I'm not one to typically sign up for an international race. But, in 2015 I was needing something to do completely out of the ordinary for me because I felt my life had been hell and I really needed to mix things up. So after hearing some great things about Vancouver from several people and discovering the race, I knew that the SeaWheeze Half Marathon was just the ticket!

After getting passed registration, which had sold out in 10 minutes, I was ready to go. It took a whole year of waiting and trying to prep for this! But, I'm not gonna go into that! Here was how it went!

WEDNESDAY NIGHT
My best friend JM, who thankfully came with me, got down to my place to have dinner with me and my boyfriend (at the time boyfriend ;-)). It was the first time she ever met him, and it went pretty well! We went to our favorite little Chinese place for deliciousness. After MS went home my mom picked up us girls to spend the night at their house.

THURSDAY
Omigosh! It was so early when we woke up to get to the airport. Our flight was crazy early, which meant we had to be even crazier early to get through security and so on. However, when we got to DFW Airport, it wasn't bad. We already had our boarding pass and the line for security was short. We found our gate then roamed to look for breakfast. The flight to Seattle was looooong. Then we only had about 30 minutes before our connecting flight to Vancouver, but we made it right before they started to board the plane. The plane was full of ladies who would be running the half marathon. I hadn't fully grasped how popular this race would be until then.


When we landed in Vancouver, the process of going through customs was looooong (thankfully not as long as our first flight). But painless. I was nervous as all because I hate the "unknown" and people have always said that customs is a pain. After we got through we then stood inline to buy our train ticket into downtown. Oh, boy! At that point, being outside in the sunlight and cool temps, I was suddenly overwhelmed. I can't believe it! We made it! Omigosh! I almost started crying!

We took the Skytrain to downtown and walked few blocks to meet our Airbnb host, who had been waiting for about two hours since we were stuck at the aiport for a lot longer than expected.The city was so clean! The air was so fresh feeling (granted everything is once you step foot outside of an airport!).

Our host and his wife was really nice. One thing that we learned right off the bat was the HOA of the building didn't like owners to rent out their units. So we were basically snuck in from the parking garage instead of the front door where security is. The unit was so much fun! It was a studio with a great layout. The best part was the view! The bed was on a platform so that you can lay in it and still see the water out beyond our windows and the other buildings. Basically, you could also see where I would be finishing my run! Sweet! There was also this yellow chair that we both loved. It was next to the window and was so comfy! It was also cool enough that we could open the windows for fresh air!

Alone in our home away from home we quickly feel deep into a deep nap. When I woke up I was a little chilled and hungry. When JM woke, we just stared at each other from across the room. "Ramen" was what we said together when we asked what we wanted for dinner!

We walked down to Robson Street, which was just a few blocks away! We knew there were some ramen places somewhere so we explored, noted where the Whole Foods was, and finally decided on Hokkaido Ramen Santouka. It was small, and very warm in there. But the ramen was good! 

After that we went to Whole Foods to get some groceries. Note to travelers. Whole Foods is great, but pricey (I swear more so than in America) so I recommend going to a place like Urban Fare to get groceries (which we didn't know about until later). You'll find everything you need there, including American items too. After groceries, it was time to get comfortable for the night.  
 

Day 1 in Vancouver!

 FRIDAY 
Morning! Packet Pick Up Day! And first day of exploration! First off... upside to buying eggs at Whole Foods... the freshness! OMG! The yolks were so orange it was amazingly beautiful!

After breakfast we walked long the harbor on the way to the convention center to get my packet. It was so pretty out there! The line for packet pick up was not as bad as I thought. Especially compared to the line to get into the SeaWheeze Lululemon store that was adjacent to the packet area. Holy crap! I'm glad I didn't go through with that! I knew the prices were high and the chances of finding my size could be slim. I have to say I'm not really a Lululemon person anyway. In fact, I felt like an albino, slightly-chubby giant compared to all of the other runners who were shorter and slimmer than me!

My packet was pretty cool, actually! It came in a nifty mesh duffle (which would be handy for when we fly home!), sunglasses, water bottle, Nuun (score!!), and a timing tags for both of my shoes. It was SO WEIRD not to have a bib to wear!  After we dropped the packet off at the condo we headed out towards Granville Island Public Market.

We took the metro train to the Yaletown - Roundhouse Station and walked to the waterfront. There were parks all over, which included plumbed bathrooms, which is really nice. Tip: There is a nice bathroom at the David Lam Park, which is hidden under a fountain/waterfall. We found a stop for a water taxi and hopped one. The water taxi was was fun, and a rare experience for JM and I to be on a boat! It was fun! The water taxi dropped us right off  market, which was perfect!

The Granville Island Public Market is. so. cool! It as a must-visit place whenever you are in Vancouver, I swear! I wish that my M was with us cause he would be in Heaven! There were so many fruit stalls, berries an fruits that looked so perfect and beautiful! There was also different meats and sweets. We had to buy a donut at one shop. I almost bought a cinnamon roll that was pretty much as big as my face. But I knew I couldn't get it cause I would eat it all and all that sugar would be bad for me the day before my race. For lunch, JM and I got fish and chips. It was so tasty and fish was so fresh!

We walked the whole island (thought I swear it isn't an island cause there is a park that connects it to the mainland) before we headed home for a nap. For dinner we got an order of hot food at the Urban Fare near by. I got the prime rib and fresh veggies, which was tasty, but perhaps a bit small on the serving size. We ate the dinner in the Harbour Green Park near the water, which was so nice. We definitely can't do that in Texas for most of the year!

After getting my clothes and gear all sorted out, I ate a sleepy gummy to help calm down from the excitement of the day and nerves so that I can sleep well before getting up uber early for the race. 

Vancouver Day 2 - Packet Pick-Up!

Vancouver Day 2 - Adventure!

SATURDAY... aka RACE DAY... aka THE DAY I RAN A RACE AND WALKED ANOTHER... aka I WAS ON MY FEET FOR ALMOST A MARATHON

The Race
 I woke up before dawn! I got to watch the sunrise over the harbor while I sipped my coffee! I was so happy that I had trained my body to do its business with coffee with before a run! Lol! I was nervous about the race. My main fear? That this was a girly race and I'm not girly like most of the women I saw yesterday.

I said bye to JM and was out the door. Thankfully I dressed right - tank top and shorts - for the weather! It was going to be in the mid 60s and sunny. It was waaaay cooler than Texas and naturally wanted to wear a t-shirt and capris, but I know better than that! I walked to the starting area, which was by the convention center. I hung close to a porta potty area and stretched. I didn't have to wait too too long for the staging time because I was was staying so close to the start line. I staged myself for the 02:45 pace group and tried to get into the groove with the very energetic pacers. It took a while for our group to make it to the start, but I was definitely feeling excited for being in another race and rocking out a good run!

Mile 0 - 4
Ok. So, I definitely felt the fact that I walked a lot on Friday exploring during the first few miles. My legs were sore! And in the city there are hills! Not crazy big hills, but little steep hills! I was keep pace with the group, which was nice cause they also served as tour guides! But, they weren't taking in walking breaks, which I didn't think of. Oops! Between Mile 2 and 3 I had to go pee, but I didn't want to lose the group. I waited till we were at the seawall near the area that I had walked through before. In fact, right after Mile 3 we were at the David Lam Park ... and that hidden bathroom under the waterfall. It was time to break away from the group! I wasn't the only runner who did that, and I felt a great sense of comradery with the other women cause we briefly would say something about our bladders going to explode and so on. I felt like I was part of the running community at the very moment! The Mile 4 marker represented me gong to an area that I had yet to explore during our visit!

Mile 5 - 7 
Right around Mile 5 we ran over a bridge to the other part of the city before racing to Mile 6, which as at the top of a hill! There were a lot of great spectators lone the Cornwall Ave stretch, and at the turn around were doggies to give kisses! Love! After the turn around we backtracked down the hill and back over the bridge before heading out to the famous seawall.

Mile 8 - 11
Here are my favorite things about the seawall... and, basically, what I like about the race in general... (1) It's flat! For the most part. (2) The view! I'm landlocked in North Texas. My water views consist of the lake or pond that I run around at my various parks. The views here in Vancouver... It's a bay, and beyond that.. a sea! Amazingly awesome! The beaches were so cool too. There was a sandy beach then a pebble beach too.

By this time in the race I was definitely getting tired. I would pause to take picture of cheer groups and the beach and the scenery to keep this section of the race fun. My legs were tired, but I kept going doing an interval run. Around Mile 11 or so was when the 3:00 pace group passed me. Dang it! Not much I can do about it cause if I pushed myself too early I was going to completely burn myself out. When we rounded the edge of the seawall on the other side of Stanley Park I was hit with another amazing view!

Mile 12 - 13.1 
Mile 12 was the marker that took me into the edge of Stanley Park. I knew if I had more time I would want to come back and explore the park because it looks beautiful and amazing! Mile 13 was right near the entrance of the park, but on the other side of the bridge. I messaged JM to let her know that I was close to the end. She was already somewhere near the finish line waiting for me, and tracking me on my Garmin GPS. I saw her somewhere before the finish. The pictures she took of me definitely show that my lower half was tired. My hips were at an angle, but I also look like I was finishing strong despite it. The finish was great! My overall time was 03:00:05. Not horrible!

Finisher Shoot 
After the finish I got my medal. This beauty is so heavy it could be used as a murder weapon! We had to snake our way up the ramp or the stairs to get out of the finisher shoot. I opted for the ramp, which a good idea cause I also got some other goodies like essential oil spray for pain relief and stress calming. I also got a SeaWheeze hat. I'm not a hat wearer unless I'm running, but I'll take it! I decided not to go for the Finisher Breakfast because it didn't sound very filling, and the line for it was absolutely nuts and didn't move for more than 15 minutes.


I found JM and I sat for a few minutes before I got her take my picture. Then it was back to walking up the little steep hills to the condo. I showered and JM cooked me breakfast. Then I completely passed out. On the floor. While stretching.

Vancouver Day 3 - Race Day!

Vancouver! Checkout that beauty!

The Fun After the Race!
Post-Nap adventures began. We had lots to do! Rocking a pair of bright pink shorts, a punk band t-shirt and a pair of brightly colored compression socks (I can't believe I forgot to have JM take of this outfit), I stepped out with JM, and we took the metro to Chinatown to walk around. Before we did I got some Tim Horton coffee to see what the hype was all about. Not bad! We also searched for a place to eat but couldn't find anything that jumped out at us. We walked around so much that we ended up in Gastown, which was a really nifty area! We were about to eat there, but realized that we were getting close to the last ride out to the Capliano Suspension Bridge, which was on our must-do-no-matter-what list. So we :: walked :: from Gastown towards the convention center. While we were there we got some gelato then it was back to our condo!

We refreshed ourselves and had another snack before we walked back to the convention center to catch the bus out to Capliano. It was a lot of fun riding in a big couch bus, and seeing parts of Vancouver that we wouldn't have seen on foot.

If you are ever in Vancouver, BC... you, must, must, MUST go to the Capliano Suspension Bridge. It is sooooo cool and fun! We walked across suspension bridge, which 140 meters (That's just shy of 160 feet!) long! The view from the bridge was gorgeous. There were other bridges and platforms in the trees, on the side of the mountain that were beautiful to climb and walk through. I did trip once up the stairs cause my legs were so tired, but I refused to let that bother me. We even walked across a bridge that was on a side of a cliff. Plus, it was made of glass!

The gift shop is great too, which is were spent a lot of our money. There are places to eat, but by the time we were done exploring they were closing down. Next time! The shuttle ride home was insane with traffic and bus driver who didn't care! Back in Downtown we got some pizza and headed home. I looked at my phone at the tracks movement... it says I walked and ran 22.6 miles! Crazy! Needless to say, we both feel a sleep easily that night! 

Vancouver! I had to include a picture of the gorgeous eggs!

SUNDAY 
Last day in Vancouver! We finished off our delicious and still uber fresh eggs before packing our bags. We cleaned the condo to the best of our ability before meeting up with the Airbnb host to check out. Then we walked around with our backpacks for a while.

We went to Central Library, and it was so cool! I can't even remember how many floors it had, but I believe it was 7! Wow! JM and I explored every floor. We also visited a very clean bathroom! After resting in the library for a while we went on the hunt for poutine. We knew we couldn't leave Vancouver or BC or Canada in general without trying it! After a couple fails from Yelp we found a spot and shared one. It was weird and yet tasty!

We walked back to the convention center area to rest some more. We did stop by a souvenir shop to grab a couple more presents for the family. We sat down and enjoyed the water and the breeze since we were burning out on the walking and we were tired and getting grouchy. Finally it was time to make our way to the airport. At the metro station we got some Tim Horton donuts to eat outside the airport.

Going through customs was not that bad! First we went through regular security, where I was selected for a pat down (it was bad at all and they were extremely polite and nice!!!!). After that we went through US customs, which just as easy! Whoa! Then we were in the airport, which was amazingly cool looking. Until we found our terminal. It was down a hallway. Then down an escalator. Down a hallway and up an escalator. The terminal was so tiny. And not as fancy as the rest of the airport. There was a bathroom and a little convenience store. That's it. We decided to head back to the main area for lunch (cheap Asian food!) before settling down at our terminal. We actually took a 45 minute nap before there was any action (aka other passengers showing up)!

It turns out our airplane was a little bombardier jet. With propellers! We had to walk to the plain and we were both excited and nervous! We had never been on a plane so small! It was so tiny inside! I couldn't fit my backpack in the overhead compartment by any means, but it juuuuust fit underneath the seat in front of me. We sat right below the wings, and could see the hint of the propellers. I tell you taking off and landing was an experience! Thankfully it was a short flight to Seattle!

At Seattle we were able to rest for awhile. It was getting close to midnight, and the airport was crazy busy! When we took off from Seattle, JM and I chewed on some sleepy gummies cause we had to sleep no. matter. what. I'm so glad that MS told me that this was absolutely necessary... otherwise we would've been screwed!

By the time we landed back home, our bodies thought it was 4:30 in the morning, but it was really 7:30am local time! Somehow we managed to find a way out of the concourse and found my mom! Then we had to find her car in the parking garage. Then it was home! We got JM some Starbucks coffee and food before she had to drive all the way back to Denton to get a training day session (she's a rockstar for pulling that off!).

I took a shower at my apartment before driving over to M's for breakfast. It felt amazing to be back with him and in his arms! (Yeah, that was a little mushy!). He made me breakfast before I completely passed out on his couch for a couple of hours. Haha!

Vancouver! Poutine and a propeller jet!

THE END... 
Well, that is is in a nutshell. Looking back, as I :: finally :: finish typing this post, it was an amazing trip! The trip was something that I really needed. It was an adventure. Finishing the race and coming home was almost like ending a chapter of my life that I started in 2015 before I met MS. It was a time for me and my bestest friend in the world to have an amazing time together. Vancouver is definitely on my list of favorite cities!

I do plan on going back to Vancouver for just a vacation even without a race. I would totally run along the seawall again. Just for fun!

2017 OMaD - Week 50

This week marks the first week of my half marathon training! Aah! I'm excited.

December 10 - 16

Day 344:  0 Miles - Rest day! Since I ran a race yesterday (not to mention totally kick butt at doing so!)  I counted that as my weekend run. Which was good cause... I. was. so. tired! M had gotten up before the sun did to get ready for work (last brunch shift at his current place of work!), and I could not wake up. I couldn't get out of bed. So tired! He pretty much had to kiss me good-bye while I was still half-asleep. I eventually ended up having coffee and water in bed before going out to hang with my sister for a while. We had fun together, which is something that doesn't as happen as it should (in my opinion)!

Day 345: 0 Miles - Monday = doggy sitting day! I did have time for lunch with my friend HL, who I haven't seen since the wedding! We had lunch at XO coffee, which was right near the place we got married. Oh, the memories! After lunch and coffee I ran some errands before heading back to my parents' doggies.

Day 346: 3.17 Miles - I had to force myself to get out there and run before. My knee was achy, and I just wanted to rest. But I got out there. I ran most the 5k, which is great. I didn't turn my interval reminder back on so it was a "free running." I glad that I got out there and ran. I had to roll out an achilles on one leg and ice the knee on the other, but it was good. Now that I'm in official training, I need to get serious on the cross-training to help strengthen my hips and thighs. 


Day 347: 0 Miles - I did a little, itty bitty kettlebell workout when I got home form work. I'm so out of shape! I use to make it through a whole workout sequence before my legs would shake. Nope. Not even half way through did that happen.

Day 348: 0 Miles - I did not fall asleep until 3am this morning. So needless to say I slept in as much as I could. That meant skipping my run. 

Day 349:  0 Miles - I made sure I took some sleepy gummies last night to get a better night's sleep an it worked. Before going into work M and I got to view our wedding photos for the first time! Yay! They turned out great! I was beginning to become self-conscious about how I looked cause when I'm excited happy my shoulders have the habit to shoot up and arch, and I smile with my mouth closed a lot more than I used to. There are some pictures where I look like I'm crying cause I smiling with my mouth closed, but I'm not. But overall, they're great pictures! Now we have the job to pick some of them for a photo album that our photographer is making for us!

Day 350: 0 Miles - Work day, but it ended with fun! My brother-in-law (my favorite in-law) wanted us to meet his girlfriend, which is a huge deal for him. So we had them over for dinner!

Total Miles this week:  3.17 Mile (that's it? Really?!)

Miles to Date: 370.95 Miles

2017 OMaD - Week 49

First full week of December! Whoo hoo! To be honest... I wrote this post each day during the week, but on the very last day when I added the entry for my race... I lost all of it! So, what we have now is a rewrite of my week. It may be a little sparse here an there, but you'll get the idea of what happened!

December 3 - 9

Day 337:  5.01 Miles - For this day I had planned between 4 - 5 miles pending on how I felt. I felt good, especially with the fact that I was able to zone during the run. I did work a little harder towards the end and I tired! Interestingly enough, my average pace was a slower than last week's 5-miler, but the finish time is the same.

Day 338: 0 Miles - Rest day! The hubs and I had the day off together, and it was awesome!

Day 339: 3.11 Miles - Another 5k run in the books. The cold front blew in today, and it was chilly! What I liked about this run was even though I felt slow, I had negative splits! Mile 1 - 14:04, Mile 2 - 13:53, and Mile 3 - 13:12. 

Day 340: 0 Miles - Rest Day! M and I had the day off again, which was great! We went up to the Frisco area. First I had to pick up packets for my little running team for the Frosty 5k. The experience of pick up seriously needed some better organization, but oh well. After that we had an adventure in Ikea! I love me some Ikea!

Day 341: 3.11 Miles - Now, I thought that the cold front on Tuesday was cold. I was wrong. The real one hit overnight and I was faced with a training run in 20 mph wind gusts and 29 degree wind chill. Now, that's cold! Brrr! I did a 5k and it felt that it took forever.

Day 342:  0 Miles - Another rest day! I took the time to dream about another full marathon. So far the BCS Marathon is in the lead for my 2018 goal. I had such a good experience with that marathon.

Day 343: 4.13 Miles - Race day! I woke up at 5am, and I just wanted to sleep, but I got up anyway. While I had my coffee I made a new playlists of punk music to run to. After getting stuck in traffic for a little bit, I made it to the race. Running buddy HC and I ran the fun run mile to warm up, which was a great steady 11:13 finish time of running straight. For the 5k, I was hoping to beat HC, but she booked it fast and left me in her dusts. That being said, my attempt to keep up with her ended with an awesome finish time of 00:30:40, which is 14 seconds slower than my PR set in 2015 when I was at my lightest weight. Overall, I've pretty happy!

Total Miles this week:  15.36 Mile

Miles to Date: 367.78 Miles

2017 OMaD - Week 48

We're now into holiday season! It'd be nice if it was cooler out, but this is Texas after all. Mornings are chilly, but afternoons are not.


November 26 - December 2   

Day 330: 5.03 Miles - Today I was aiming for between 4 - 5 miles. 5 would be awesome and 4 would be acceptable. I'm excited to say that I did a solid 5. I felt great! I still feel like I'm getting somewhere, finally! The rest of the day was perfect in the fact that M and I were off from work, and we got to completely relax (stuff we use to do before wedding planning hit!). So nice!

Day 331: 0 Miles - To start off my day to myself, I did a complete beginner yoga sequence from Yoga with Adriene (http://yogawithadriene.com), which I liked quite a bit. I think I'll give this ago for a week or so before advancing onto another beginner video. After that I wrote all of our Thank You cards for our wedding gifts. What do you do when you have gifts from an unknown giver? After that... grocery store. I did make a tasty meatloaf for dinner, though!

Day 332: 3.11 Miles - I needed a great big straw this morning cause I really needed to Suck It Up, Buttercup. I would find an excuse even though the little runner in my head told me to just go. M finally had to convince me to go. I felt better the moment I saw the park. I ran a good 5k, and tried to add in some fartleks here and there. 

Day 333: 0 Miles - What can I say? Work is work, and I'd rather be doing something else... like trying out that new yoga sequence or at the gym and being at home where there is comfort. Do you ever have those days where little things creep into your head and get you down? To the point that if you actually stop and listen to those voices that you'll breakdown and cry, but you force yourself to be preoccupied? Today is one of those days for me. It turns out M got home early, which is just what I needed because my back was in a lot pain. I must've slept wrong overnight and throughout the day the aching progressively got worse. He helped made dinner, which included a delicious arugula salad (I heart me some arugula!). The tens unit and ice was my post-dinner activity.

Day 334: 0 Miles - I didn't run today. My back was still achy and if I arched it in any way it hurt. Whatever I did yesterday, I did it good. I don't think the yoga did it to me cause I didn't do any crazy moves. I think I just slept wrong. My back wasn't too achy when I woke up, but as the day went on at work it was definitely sore. Thankfully and Ibuprofen helped me out. I pretty much felt good the rest of the day with a few twinges here and there.

Day 335:  0 Miles - Back getting better, but I get a tweak every so often. Work was slooooow, but it was awesome to come home to the Hubs (who was off from work that day) who made a delicious ropa vieja and rice and beans. Mmmm!

Day 336: 0 Miles - I completely thought that this day was Sunday, and I was thinking to myself about my run when I realized that I needed to go to work! Ack! I went to my employer's very large Christmas Party. I was totally have social anxiety leading up to do this, but I'm glad I went and socialized for a bit with some people I know. Granted, I ate all the food (including a slice of cheesecake), and I regretted in the morning. It was nice to come home to my hubs, who just got home too. 

Total Miles this week:  8.14 Mile

Miles to Date: 352.42 Miles

2016 BCS Marathon Recap

OK! I'm skipping any photos for the sake of share! Here's my recap from the 2016 BCS Full Marathon, which I will have to say I really liked running! Better late than never right?


THE RECAP 

DAY BEFORE
My fiance, M, and I headed out around noontime for College Station to get to the hotel. We had stayed at Hyatt Place, which was very conveniently located about 5 minutes away from the Start Line. It was also a race hotel, which helped with the cost and stress of getting to the race on time. The room was nice, but a little funky. You could tell that it was an older hotel that was redone (or at least I thought so). The bed was a bit too firm for my taste, bit was nice. I never found out what type of "runner breakfast" deal they were giving the runner because the front desk didn't know. That was OK for me cause I didn't want to eat anything new race morning!

After checking into the hotel, we drove down to to Packet Pick-Up, which is where saw my running buddy HC and her hubby. The expo was really small, and was held in the cafeteria at the high school. Everything was a breeze to go through, which was great. No stress or sensory overload like other expos I've been too! I like the race shirt I got, and it fits great, which was something I was worried about when I asked for a Women's Large vs my usual Men's Medium (it's all in the cuts!).

After the procuring my bib, we made our way back to near the hotel. We had dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Mmmmm! I love their rolls. I had a steak with green beans and a sweat potato. The steak was delicious, and I felt good that I was fueling with that, especially since I'm representing the TX BEEF Team during the race.

All this time, I was calm. I kept on realizing, "I'm running 26.2 miles tomorrow." But I never freaked out or got nervous. Back at the hotel I laid out all of my gear so that I could easily get dressed in the early morning.

EARLY MORNING PRE-RACE PREP
My alarm went off at 4:30am. I wasn't nervous yet. At least, not about the race. I was more nervous of trying not to set of the smoke detector in the room when I heat up my Eggo waffles for my breakfast and running fuel. Yep, that's right. I lugged my toaster with me to the hotel. I had my waffles in a cooler (now defrosted, which helped I think). I also brought my own coffee and drip cone cause I did not trust the hotel coffee. It all worked out! I even managed to poop before, which was something I've been training my body to do (thank you coffee!) during this training season.

When I had to get dressed was the when I started to get nervous. I was worried about the weather, but ended up wearing a long sleeve shirt (my Dallas Marathon shirt) and my Beef tank top. I only packed my capris and chose the ones that I ran in during training, but also at my last marathon. When we stepped outside I was surprised as to how warm it was. It was due in part to humidity.

THE RACE
We parked at the mall and followed the crowd to the Start Line area. I did my first porta-potty stop before finding HC and her hubby. We didn't have long till the start of the race. We pretty chatted lightly while I stretched and warmed up. During the entire pre-race time I was notably calm! I wasn't freaking out. I felt ready but also still thinking about the fact that I had 26.2 miles ahead of me. But, it wasn't a big deal. It was just a run. Weird, right? I had one more potty break, and I was ready.

Mile 1 - 4
HC and I ran together until we reached the first water station around the 5k mark. I thought we were walking through the stations, but she only did half the station and then she was off. I had to stop and stretch. I kept tabs on her for bit, but she was long gone by the time I saw the split for the marathoners and the half marathoners. It was a littler surreal that most of the runners were half-ers and I went down the road less traveled - where the badass marathoners went.

Mile 5 - 13
Around Mile 6 or so I had to pee and stretch. Another person from the Beef Team asked if I was OK after she saw me stretching, which was uber nice. I was doing good. Just keeping hamstring happy.  Pretty the next handful of miles I watched other runners. There was another runner who would take pictures as he went along, and I thought it was curious as to what he was capture, such as a school or or a house. This entertained me for a while.

Bryan is a bit sleepier of a town than I had imagined it. It was fun passing little houses, schools, but it was gone before I knew it. 

I saw HC as she crossed the 13 Mile marker. She looked like that she was about to start walking. I thought about yelling to her, but knew that she may not here me, which sucks. Even then, I had about a mile left to catch up to her and she may not want to wait for me. I run on in the opposite direction to reach the half-way mark of the race.

Mile 14 - 20
Once I past 13 miles and heading the direction of Heather, I completely lost her. I was back to being a lone. I was doing just fine. I was recognizing my that I was doing good, not as burned out at this time compared to the Dallas Marathon, but overall I have to aware of getting tired. Right around Mile 15 I new that I was getting bored and realized how far I had to go. My legs were feeling tired/achy. I was starting to get into my head. Uh oh. Thankfully, right around this time a small group of 3 runners were passing me.

I had been playing cat and mouse with this trio for the past couple of miles. The husband and wife duo were running intervals, and keeping another young woman keep the faith. I decided to tag a log. Eventually, during the next mile, I told them I was piggybacking off of their interval. The husband was definitely a fellow with a good sense of humor (goofy in most respects) and his wife was the more serious person. They were a wonderful distraction. I didn't think about my legs. I also had a regimented interval to follow, which was nice. Granted, it did slow my time down. At Mile 20 we were now getting to the A&M campus.

Mile 21 - 25
My pace was calmer. I'm feeling really good! I'm feeling accomplished already! My goal of 6 hrs was looking good, but then I was getting slower. I lost track of timing. Due in part that I was slightly worried to peel away from the trio because I would lose my mojo. Oh, well! I did split from the group at around Mile 24.

Mile 25 to Finish
I was excited to finish! I was so close! I pace sped up, but I still did walking breaks to make sure I didn't burn at the end. I remember seeing the 26 Mile Marker was amazing! I think I actually stopped to take a picture... and to stretch! I remember bounding around the corner to the finish line, I had the biggest smile (even the MC noted it!)! M was there in the stands video recording me.

I crossed the finish line, and I felt good. I felt proud. I felt relieved.

They put the medal around my neck, and I kept walking. I eventually stopped, and sort put my head between my knees. I was full of so much emotion, I started crying.

M was at the fence, and I went over to hug him. He was worried I was hurt, but it was just happy tears.

We walked together, and eventually found HC with her family. Everything was good. I felt great. Walking back to the car was a little hard, but I did it.


POST RACE
What is awesome with the BCS is that the Start/Finish is right near a Chuy's Tex-Mex! SCORE! M and I got a table pretty quickly, and I ordered fajitas just for myself. While we waited on that ate so many chips and salsa! I did change my clothes in the bathroom since M had to check out of our hotel earlier. The meal was ah-mazing!

The road trip back was really good! I didn't fall asleep as quickly as I expected. Granted, I wanted to make sure I navigated M correctly. We found our way to West to pick up some kolaches at the Czech Stop on the way home to the Dallas area.


OVERALL THOUGHTS 
I remember being surprisingly calm the night before and the morning of. It seemed like any other race. Though my finish time was slower than my first marathon (2015 Dallas Marathon), but I felt so much better! I didn't hit a mental wall like I did before. I knew I was getting close to getting into my head around Mile 15, but since I piggy-backed off the intervals of the one couple they distracted me. Next time around I know not to get into my head.


WOULD I RUN THIS RACE AGAIN?
Yes! I want to run this race again!


FINISH TIME 
Official finish time: 06:19:30

2015 Dallas Marathon Race Recap

Alright! Here it is! My first ever marathon race recap!!! It only took TWO YEARS for me to write. My bad.

Reading through this post again, was a lot of fun. It brings back a lot of memories. I, also, cannot believe that this was the first day that my parents met my then-boyfriend-now-husband M!!!! Where as the time gone?!

I wish I had pictures to add at this time, but it'd take forever to get them on here. Just sayin'. 

RECAP
I'm taking it slow on recovery time because, for one thing, the day after the race my brain has been on Christmas shopping! Hee hee. I couldn't even think about Christmas until the marathon was over! So, now, when I'm not working or sleeping I'm with the family or MS and shopping! I've ended up taking time while I'm at work to work on this post. Good thing we've been slow!

P.S. - I really wish I took pictures of things, but it never crossed my mind! What the hey?!

HEALTH AND FITNESS EXPO & DAY BEFORE RACE GOINGS
 I didn't get to packet pick up until the day before the race. That was when my running buddies were going. My boyfriend MS drove me down to the convention center. Getting my packet was super easy. First you got your bib and gear check bag. Then you got your shirt. It wasn't too crowded, which made it all the better.

After getting the important stuff it was time to SHOP! We walked through all the vendors. I didn't really have a lot of things I on my mind that I wanted needed to buy. I did get my 26.2 tie-dyed car magnet and two state magnets (Texas and Missouri) for the ones I've ran a race in. I also registered for the 2016 Plano Balloon Festival 5k because it was so cheap!

When it came to the overall experience of the expo it was like any other, but I did really, really like that the space was carpeted. I don't remember any other expo having carpet. It was a blessing cause I wasn't looking forward to walking for an hour on concrete floors.

After the expo, MS and I had a brunch before I had to head out to attend my sister's graduation. Afterwards, and after surviving traffic, we had dinner at Papadeaux Seafood Kitchen. I chose the half roasted chicken with garlic mashed potatoes. I also ate quite a bit of bread too. I really wish I could've had dessert, but I know sugar was a no-no at this point. Back home I got my gear ready to go and decided on what I was going to wear the next morning. I also got my gear check bag all packed with a complete change of clothes and a towel.

PRE-RACE
Where to start? The night before the race I was up till midnight after that busy Saturday, but I had gotten everything done that I needed to get done. I had my gear laid out - ready for me to jump into. I actually woke a little bit before my first alarm at 3:30am, but I snoozed it until 4:00am. Then I was up and going through my check list of what to do. First I checked the weather. Cold and rainy. Of course.

I ate a waffle with peanut butter and my first banana. I did a bathroom visit, which was successful! Yay! Then I slowly but surely changed clothes. All the while I was prepping race fuel and water.


I hit the door right on time to make it to DART train station in my place. When I stepped outside, though, it was cold and wet. Something that I hate.So when I made it to the train station where running buddies HC an JP were waiting I was grumpy. Once we were on the train, out of the stupid wind, it was better. Picked up EW at another station before making it all the way downtown. At some pointed I texted MS to bring an extra hoodie for me because I forgot to bring one and with the temperatures not being as high as I was expecting I knew I'd needed the warmth. Thankfully we were able to hang out inside the convention center for the next hour. We all sat at a table and chatted. Then we did our first bathroom visit. I gotta say it was so nice that we were able to hang out inside while the rain let up. We did venture out once to give our bags over to Gear Check, but since we had a little more time on our hands we went back inside to do another potty break.

When we eventually ventured back outside the rain had finally let up. We followed everyone to Corral C. I got into the sloooooowest line ever for a porta-potty. It was so slow that my running buddies eventually entered the corral without me. It was so slow I eventually dished the idea of peeing before the start of the race and entered the corral. It was so slow that I finally found my buddies 10 minutes before our corral was suppose to start the race. Yep. I was in the stupid line for about 20 minutes, and I still needed to pee! HC was laughing at me cause I obviously don't have a iron bladder like she does.

THE RACE
Where to begin??? Our corral finally made it to the start line. I saw it and went, "Omigod! HC! What are you making me do???". It's all her fault, but at the same time I was excited to finally get running!

Mile 1 - 4
HC and I started the race and it was already up hill as we passed Dallas City Hall and the Dallas Central Public Library. While I was on that hill I ripped my rain poncho like I was Super Man and tossed it on the side of the road. Done! The hill and the crowd of people certainly helped keep the pace slower than usual at first. I was trying to stick to a 12:00 - 12:30 pace or so. I know HC was thinking the same thing, but she kept on popping ahead. I tried to yell at her to slow down, but she didn't quiet here me.

At around Mile 4 I gave up trying to keep up with HC, which bummed me out a bit. I took this time to retie my shoes a bit tighter... then it happened... after four miles of seeing the occasional porta-potty with lines and holding it in.... I peed myself. Yep. Right there. On the sidewalk. As I was tying my shoe. Thankfully I don't think anyone saw. I felt much better though despite not being able to let go of everything!

Mile 5 - 9 
I was still doing pretty good. Got through some minor hills and knew more were to come when I closer to mile 10 and beyond. Somewhere between Mile 8 and Mile 9 on Greenville Ave. I finally saw porta-potties that had no line because they were off a distance from the course, but they were obviously for the runners. So I did it. I dashed own a side street and used a clean potty. Whew! Did I feel better! I literally though, "Now I don't have to tell my mom and dad that I need to pee when they ask me how I'm doing!"

Once my bladder was empty I had a little more energy to my step. Onward to La Vista!

Mile 10 - 13
I gotta say running through the Swiss Ave. is always a great place to day dream about having lots of money. The trees alone are so nice!

My parents were waiting for me at La Vista. They had eaten at Liberty Burger, an were waiting there with some totally awesome signs! My mom's an artists (she drew me running, basically)! It was good to see them! I felt so happy that they made it out to my biggest race yet! My dad took a video while my mom waved the signs.



Within in minutes after that I was facing a hill, and I was back to being a little grumbly!

When I finally made it to White Rock Lake I was getting tired. Right around the 13 mark my legs suddenly got heavier and achier. I had a sudden flash of pain go through one of them starting at the knee. I walked a bit to calm it down, hoping that it wasn't going stay and ruin my run. Thankfully it didn't. Once I got to the 13.1 half marker I was definitely, hands down, tired. I was a little worried about that cause I never felt so tired during my training. Granted I faced more hills than I did during training. I normally sleep a little longer and stand on my feet as long before I run. But still!

My boyfriend MS texted me that I was half way there and was doing great! I responded with a thanks and that hills are b*tches. Then I was back on to running the lake.

Mile 14 - 20

I wasn't doing too too badly, and it was nice to see a familiar spot. Though this was when I started seeing runners after they made the turnaround. I kept an eye out for HC knowing she had to be ahead of me some where. I finally saw her at around Mile 17. She was with the 5:30 pace group, and was far, far ahead of me. That totally zapped my mental energy. I was extremely disappointed. I was hoping that I was actually closer to her. I almost started crying. Seriously! My legs were tired. My running buddy was far ahead of me, which means she'll finish before me (did I ever mention how super competitive I am?). So pretty much between Mile 17 and 19 I was very dejected. Though, I have to say I was happier when I made the turn around.

When I ended up on the Santa Fe Trail, running the 20th mile I was so tried. I pretty much walked this entire mile. Right before I came up to the Mile 20 marker my mom texted me to see where I was because the Marathon App has a delay on it. I told her I was about to run over the next sensor, which means everything would be updated soon.

Mile 21 - 24
There was a lot of run/walking done during these miles. A lot. Mile 22 took me past my parents again. They had another sign, which my dad held this time, which totally made me smile. This was the first huge race that he has been too! We walked up the hill together talking. I told them my legs were tired and achy, but doing ok. They were going to head out to do some Christmas shopping and they would see me and MS at Chuy's after the race. Once they couldn't walk up any further for me my mom apparently text MS saying I looked great. Awww! (Keep in mind, they hadn't ever met my fellow before. I gave my mom his number in case something bad happened to me).


During the last 4 miles I had very short intervals. Once I saw the downtown skyline I was kept on calculating what distance I had left. At that time my Garmin was off in the mileage because of weaving around people and for going down that side road for my potty break.

After awhile I kept on seeing certain spectators, such as man in an orange shirt who did an awesome job in making me smile and there was a family. It would amaze me at how many times I saw them so soon after seeing at another spot. I think that was a sign as to how slow I was going. Oh, well!

Mile 25 - 26.2
This last 1.2 miles was hard but exciting. I told myself over and over that I was close to the end. I can do this. Try to run, not walk so that I could finish sooner and have a better finishing time. But my legs wouldn't let me. However, when I hit the last 0.20 miles it was on. I ran up that hill and down it. I saw MS, which almost missed me, but he got some awesome pictures and a video of me finishing. I seriously crossed the finish line alone with the biggest smile on my face that even the emcee remarked on.

 I was done! 


POST RACE 
Passed the finish line I got a water bottle. My medal wasn't handed to me. It was put around my neck by the volunteer and was told "Congratulations." I got one picture taken. I got a heat blanket. I had more pictures taken. MS found me by the fence and I told him to walk around toward the Omni. I was given a Finishers Bag - a drawstring backpack that said "Finisher" on it that was full of food to eat.

I got my bag from gear check then I waddled to the Family Met Up spot. MS and I hugged liked crazy an he carried my gear. I told him all about me peeing my pants and how I perfected my snot rockets (I had never done a snot rocket before!), which he thought it was all awesome and funny (he was a hockey player, so that explained a lot).

We found HC and her family. She told me that the village was gone, which meant we couldn't find our special medals for running the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and the Dallas Marathon in one year. There were no engravers. This was a total a bummer, and a bit disappointing that they didn't wait to take down the finisher village to celebrate a marathon finish. There was seriously 30 minutes left before the time cut off. Really?

So after walking a little bit with hope they were hiding some where, HC and I headed back into the Finisher Area to use the changing tent near gear check. It was so nice to be out of those running clothes! Warm in sweat pants and a hoodis we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

MS helped walk me to his car, which was down a ways, on the other side of the downtown library. I waddled along in my cushy, but for some reason slippery crocks. Now, MS's car is actually a sports car, and it was a bit of a challenge to sit down into it. But I did it. Thankfully, though, since it was so small it heated up quickly. I pulled on his extra hoodie, and I found the chocolate chip cookies that were in the goodie back.

Then we headed up to the West Plano to eat at Chuy's. This was the first time that MS met my parents and it went really well. I ate a whole bunch of food - chips and salsa and queso then MS and I shared fajitas (but I think I ate most of them!). Afterwards we all drove back to my parents house for rice crispy treats and coffee.

I eventually had to be driven back to my car near the Dart station so that I could get my car back home. I went back to my Mom and Dad's to stay the night.

The next morning I slapped on my new 26.2 marathon magnet! 


FUELING  
Now! Just a quick note about fueling. If you read before I fuel with little bites of blueberry Eggo waffles with peanut butter. I would take a bite every two miles.

OVERALL THOUGHTS 
I can't believe I did it! Still. After two months I can't believe I actually ran a marathon. I have the medal, the photos, the car magnet, the shirts, and the muscles, to prove I did it. But I still can't believe it!

I really wish that they kept the Finisher's Village up longer. I was confused then disappointed that I didn't get to experience the village after my very first marathon. Sure I was close to the time cut off, but every runner deserves the village.I was hoping to get my medal engraved. I was wanting to pick up a special medal for running the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and the Dallas Marathon. But nope. Nothing. It was all gone by the time I got there.

I did really like how there was a changing tent by gear check. It would've been nicer if I could've changed inside the Convention Center were it was warmer, but it worked out well. Otherwise I would've worn my clothes until I was at the restaurant (it would be impossible to change clothes in MS's sport car.).

Once we got home I was very surprised that I didn't feel bad or achy. I was a little tired, but I didn't once think I needed a nap. We all grouped in the kitchen (I saw own on my comfy chair right by the breakfast bar) and we chatted with rice crispy treats and coffee. MS showed my mom his battle scares from the kitchen (he's a chef) and his hockey scares. All in all, it was a great day! When I did go to bed, I was out like a light though!

I was achy for the next week. I didn't stretch as well I as I probably should have and I ended up having and inflamed IT band, but it went away after I rested for a few weeks. People would ask me if I'd run another marathon. I was in between a yes and a no. Now, I know I will run another one. When I'm ready. 

WOULD I RUN THIS RACE AGAIN
Yeah, probably. When I'm ready to take on the hills.

FINISH TIME
05:50:43




 

2016 Dallas Hot Chocolate Run 15k Race Recap

Ack! Here's a race I never posted about! This was so long ago! Lol! I can't wait to run my 7th Hot Chocolate Run in February 2018!

Sorry for no pictures! 

RECAP 
OK. I'm trying to get back into a good habit to post a recap about my races. For those who don't know, the Hot Chocolate Run was the first race I ever ran in my entire life. My bestie JM and I ran it four years ago, which is hard to believe!

NIGHT BEFORE 
Well! After work I ended down to my parents' abode since my wonderful Mom was going to run the 5k again this year. Since this race is a Beef Team sponsored race my mom was kind enough to make a beef dinner for me. It was so tasty!


After dinner I laid out my gear for the morning. No stumbling around at 5:15 in the morning looking for anything! I decide to go for my Beef tank top vs the tee to wear over my Dallas Marathon shirt. Thought it might help circulate air more so I don't over heat. With all that taken care it was chiiiiiill time.



PRE-RACE
My mom and I typically show up at this shindig at 6:00 am each year, but we tried a 6:30 time instead. It wasn't bad. A little more traffic, but we didn't have to wait as long before the race started. I did feel a little rushed before the race because not only did I have my mom, but I had my work running buddies HC and JP (running the 15k) and my bestie JM and her family (running the 5k). So! I we found HC and JP right off the bat then we gear checked everything and hit the the best-ever porta-potties in the world. They are clean and include hand sanitizer.

 My mom pretty wanted to get in her corral pretty soon after that. After that I found JM by here corral and chatted for a couple of minutes to decide on a Finish Line plan. I knew that with her family also in the race she may not be able to wait for me to finish and meet my guy MS, but we would try. Once she was cozy in her corral I ran back to the Automotive Building to chill for a while with the others.

One last potty break I soon enough found myself in the corral pretty darn close to the start line, which was awesome. HC and I made plans to stick with the 11:30 pace group to see how it goes. We weren't sure if the pacer was going to do walk breaks or not, but we' at least try to keep up. As we talked strategy I was also keeping an eye out of MS cause he was doing is super speed walk to get to the start line (did you know it's at least a half mile to a full mile from the Start area to the parking log?). At the last couple minutes he appeared! 


RACE 
And we were off!
 
Miles 1 - 4
Well, staying with the 11:30 pacer was nice, actually. It definitely made sure that HC and I didn't run out too fast. We hit Mile 1 and there was no sign of the Pacer stopping for a walk break. We figured we'd keep with the group until we couln't any longer. Then we got to the first water and goodie station at Mile 2. HC was somewhere behind me and I started to walk a bit, but avoiding those who were walking and drinking. I had a very rude runner said to me "No walking in the middle." Uh. I wasn't in the middle per say. Anyway, he lit a fire under my butt I sped up to run near him for a while because I'm apparently passive aggressive with rude people. At least I didn't push him down. That would've been bad.
  
Right before Mile 4 I had to hit porta potty (also very clean!) that had no line. Ahh! At this point I was also getting tempted by the chocolate and marshmallow treats that they were handing out at the stations. But I had to tell myself "NO!" to sugar! I had some torn up blueberry muffins in my belt (I forgot to bring my Eggo waffles to my mom's). After passing through the water station I was reunited with HC who had lost track of the Pacer.

Miles 5 - 7
Once we got to Mile 5 we were on the Santa Fe Ave that mirrors the Santa Fe Trail, which was a familiar site for me since I had on a rare occasion hit the trail coming from White Rock Lake. There were a couple of hills that we decided to walk up cause I just knew it was going to burn my legs up and just slow me down at the finish. Until that point I ran up every single hill that I had faced, and I felt great, which made me happy since I was a little worried about them.

While on Santa Fe HC and I were discussing future races. We both admitted that a marathon may be in our future. She would like to do another winter one, such as the Dallas Marathon again. I told her that I was tempted with the BCS Marathon cause it's apparently flatter than Dallas, and I've heard good reviews from my friend JB. I know I have a lot of things going on this year that involves money, a trip to St. Louis, my trip to Vancouver for the SeaWheeze Half Marathon, and a vacation with my guy, my brother's wedding in Houston. A lot of stuff, but I still feel like I may be able to swing the money for registration for training. Hmmmm. So much to ponder! OK... now! Back to the race!

Miles 7 - 9.3 
Once I pretty much hit Mile 7.50 I was mentally done with the race. I was starting to get tired. I swear the temperature dropped and it got windier, which didn't help with you are sweaty like I was. I never got too hot, which was great. But I hate being cold just as much!

Once we were back on the grounds of Fair Park an I saw the 9 Mile marker then the 5k's 3 Mile marker I knew I was very close! So I dug in and ran up the last little hill. It was perfect timing cause I saw MS right there and he was taking pictures! Awww! That definitely made my smile a lot bigger when I ran across the finish line.

POST RACE 
The finisher's shoot was very short. I got my medal. I got a cup of Nuun, which was perfect (I hate Gatorade!). MS gave me the biggest hug when we found each other. I wish there was a picture of that! We saw HC, but lost her while I was looking for my mom. I felt bad the next day about how HC was by herself, but she reassured me it was ok. Next time I'm going to do better.

Once Mom was found I got my cup of chocolate goodness. We got my gear from the holders of backs (aka gear check) then plopped down on the concrete floor. We pretty much almost spent an hour talking and laughing and recapping the race. All of this was great, but my mom and MS were getting alone and I could tell the "parental unit approval of boyfriend" was going well!

Just like last year I popped behind the curtain to change clothes instead of going to the bathroom, which I had already visited and was glad I didn't change in there. Then we made the trek back to the parking lot.

I got home just in time to take a shower before heading out to work for the next five hours. I was certainly very tired after the first three hours. Thankfully, my guy offered to make one of my favorite dinners, "Breakfast for Dinner," for me. He made pancakes, fried eggs, sausages, and hash browns. Total yum! A great way to end the day of running my first race of 2016!


FINISH TIME
01:46:00
I am very happy with this finish time!

WOULD I RUN THIS AGAIN? 
Yes! I will always consider the 5k since I run this race every year, but the 15k wasn't too bad. I was very happy with my run. So, yes, I'd run the 15k again.