Cold Weekend

The cold front this weekend took it's toll on me. I am so not a cold weather person!

• Friday: I squeezed in a 6 miler because I knew the temperature would be dropping considerably Saturday but I was hoping to get out again on Sunday.
  
  Followed by a Celebration of a our dear friends 77th Birthday. Many musicians of all kinds got together to JAM for the occasion. Even I played a song on Bass (not my biggest forte but I was able to hang, I think)
  
  
  
  It took us about a minute to get the song together so please be patient ;)
  
  I felt great all night. My feet were sore from the run (I suspect I wore the wrong shoes) but everyone who hasn't seen me in a while said I was losing weight which made me feel terrific ;)
  

• Saturday: It was so cold we didn't leave the house. Both Mr. Boyfriend and I started to get sick :\ The temps dropped to the 30s.
  
• Sunday: Still sick and still cold! Again in the 30s.
  
• Monday: My throat and Migraine got even worse! Managed to stay in the 50s.
• Tuesday: Feeling better than yesterday but not 100%. Absolutely not running today. Going to try to recover so I can get a run in tomorrow. I have a 7 miler penciled in.
  
  I'm 19 days out from the my first FULL Marathon and my training has fallen apart over the last month. I still have time to get one more 20 miler in this Saturday (Expected temp in the 70s with 40% chance of rain) to make for a total of 2 (I was hoping for 3 before the full!) but I'll take what I can get.
  

Happy Tuesday!

Self-Imposed Long Weekend

Everyone should indulge in one every once in a while!

Thursday night, Mr. Boyfriend and I hit the Metallica concert and may I say "It was AWESOME!"

Rock On!

Great seats!

It was explosive!

I'm not a huge fan but it was still a lot of fun!

Friday, I did my afternoon run in a decent time. I stopped using the Galloway method and my time has improved considerably.

Mile 1	0:10:32
Mile 2	0:11:21
Mile 3	0:11:20
Mile 4	0:11:24
Mile 5	0:10:59
Extra .33	0:03:31

Saturday was the first day I was able to wake up and get a morning run and may I say, I LOVED IT! I am definitely hooked. I am also running IPOD free. I really does allow you to concentrate better on RUNNING and breathing and all the mechanics. It's not easy but it is so worth the sacrifice.

Mile 1	0:10:50
Mile 2	0:11:18
Mile 3	0:11:24
Extra .74	0:08:23

Mr. Boyfriend was still sleeping so I slipped out and got a couple of rounds out on the Bicycle.

Can I say, FINALLY!

It took me twice around just to get my footing back. Then I was in full swing. I did another 6 loops before the sun got to me and I had to head inside. I must do that again!

Sunday was my long run. I woke up at the same time but being that my run was much longer I ended my run and the heat was starting to get bad.

Mile 1	0:10:32
Mile 2	0:10:45
Mile 3	0:11:37
Mile 4	0:11:19
Mile 5	0:11:35
Mile 6	0:11:21
Mile 7	0:11:17
Mile 8	0:11:19
Extra .01	0:00:05

I'm pretty stoked that I made my race pace without really trying too hard and I think I kept it pretty consistent. I did have to take a few walking breaks but I kept them to 1 per mile and always between 45-60 sec.

In the future I'm going to have to wake up earlier as my runs get longer.

Also, I need to be more careful on my long runs. I got 5 blisters. Two on the arch of my right foot, two more on my toes of the same foot and one more on the toe of my left foot. I know it's because I used the wrong sneaker for the run. It was my only lapse.

Everything else worked out pretty well!

• Half a Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cliff Bar before the run. I didn't feel hungry at all.
  
• 20oz of Half Water/Half Gatorade (I could have used another 4oz though)
  
• 1 Zym hydration tab after the run and 1 cup milk (also after the run)

Overall still a great run!

For today's run, I calculated the time I needed to get up to be at work by 8am and I guess I got a little carried away. I headed out at 6:10am to find:

It was PITCH BLACK! It felt like it was Midnight, eerie and spooky. I tried to do once around the block but it was too much. I checked and Sunrise is at 7:15am.

I started to fiddle on the computer and lost track of time and ended up heading out late ... GEESH!

I had planned to do a 5 miler but time and the fact that this would be my 4th run in a row caused me to reconsider.

I ended up doing 3.47 instead. I was able to keep my race pace ... but BARELY! By the end my blisters were aching a little and my legs felt like I had no gas in them ... I was running by shear will alone!

Tomorrow is a rest for my legs day ... I do strength for my core and arms.

Wow! What a weekend :)

In Review - Week of September 28st:

Half Marathon Training Week 6 of 12:
(Full Marathon Training Week 1 of 18:)

WORKOUT	DISTANCE	AVG Speed	TIMES
	25.14 Miles	5.34	5
	2 Miles	N/A	1
	0 Meters	N/A	0

Total Workout Time: 06:12:39
Total Running Time: 04:42:39

040:09:28:02 till the Half-Marathon!
117:09:46:39 till the Full-Marathon!

I leave you with a video of clips from the concert!


Happy Monday!

J4★Weekend

Well, the 4th of July Weekend has come and gone and so did the J4★5K.

I was underwhelmed by my result of 36:58.

Pretty much no change from a month ago.

I also logged a distance of 3.6 on my Garmin meaning that I still have some more calibrating to do.

It also means I have alot more training to do.

But looking for the positive points:

• I was able to keep up with people who looked alot fitter than me.
• I felt no shin pain or shin splits
• I ran without my Ipod and it felt good (so no more excuses when I forget it in the future).
• Mom ran a good race and again I went back for her and helped her finish strong. :)
• Mom is totally excited about our next race 13.1 Fort Lauderdale
  

So I was dragging a bit after that but I so totally did not allow that to ruin my weekend!






We got our JAM on, I took some outstanding photos and watched some fabulous fireworks! :)

Have an Outstanding Monday!

A Notch on My Belt

Last night, Band Practice went outstandingly well.


I got to practice alot and realized I'm doing better than I thought (I hadn't played in almost a month because I had gotten a little demoralized but Mr. Boyfriend made me jump in there and remember how much I truly enjoy playing bass and guitar :)

Also, Mrs. Fireman told me I was looking great (always a nice thing to hear) and I looked down and noticed I had tighten my belt a notch tighter :)

What a great way to start the week!

Since I did my strength training last night, debating pushing my entire week up a day to prepare for the 5K this weekend.

Have a great Monday!

HOT HOT HEAT

The JAM was great last night. We ran late and then I was requested for a command performance of the Happy Birthday song. :)

I got to try out my new song which played great with the band (I loved the drum beat Mr. Boyfriend came up with). Came out very Alternative Rock but I really need to work on those changes because that verse is killer on the wrist. I also got to play standing (which I don't usually do) but found it much easier than in the past ... I'm going to have to do that more often in the near future.

This morning we crawled out of bed at noon and by the time I was awake enough to even think about working out I walked outside to find the HOT HOT HEAT.

It felt as if I'd walked outside onto another planet.

IT WAS SAHARA HOT!

If you have never been in such heat it is very uncomfortable to even be outside.

I have also noticed that although I run mostly in the afternoon and at sunset I have still managed over the last two weeks to manage to get a tan. Considering that I have only run about 4 times in that time and never much longer than an hour it is very disturbing. The tan is quite noticeable and I've even recieved a couple of compliments.

I am going to have to look into some sort of sun protection in the very near future. But as for today, the gym is going to be my trainer for today.

I've got a shorter run planned for today, just over 3 miles. Still taking it easy because of my knee soreness. I plan to stretch heavily before and after and hope for better results.

For tomorrow I have a longer run planned of at least 5 miles with my mom coming along for the ride. Quite fitting being that it is Mother's day.

The family that runs together, stays together :)

About Me

For most of my life I have been over weight.

I wasn't born overweight and made it to somewhere around 7 years old as a healthy child with a healthy weight.

Then that year, my Private school closed and I was transferred into the Public School System. And after that, I don't recall being a very active as a child nor was I very involved in anything.

I would spend my summers in Puerto Rico with my father's family but I don't remember much of anything.

Actually, after that point all I recall is sitting in front of the TV, playng Mario Brothers on my Nintendo or going to get Malta and Mazareal's with my grandfather.

Something changed.

I'm not entirely sure what (and I am not venturing to accuse the Public School System).

After that, I did not become active until I started college. At which point I was quite overweight (Obese on the BMI scale) and my first year I decided that I would signed up for a Judo class.

I surprised myself.

I was never a brave soul and I half expected to walk in and have the class be canceled due to lack of participation.

But to my surprise it wasn't ... and that's where it all began.

I even started to compete (Here you see me after a Sunshine State Games Competition where I got 2nd Place. Top Row 4th in from Left to right with a Brown Belt.)

I started to lose weight.

Not a lot but enough for me to find the bravery to sign up for the FIU ROTC Program. This is where RUNNING and I were formally introduced and started our on-again off-again affair.

I wasn't very good but I managed some 8 minute (first) miles in my PFT Test runs. I was able to keep up with my designated "Slow" group and I occasionally went on runs with other JUDO members when they wanted to pump up their training.

I SAW RESULTS.

I set goals and started to realize my dreams. I became a Judo Instructor, a Firearms Instructor and Substitute Teacher. I picked up several hobbies including but not limited to: Photography, Running, Working Out and overall fitness, Traveling, Writing the All-American Novel ... and so much more.

Then I graduated from College. Got a SLACKER JOB at the Gun Range and a second Job as a Cyber-Journalist for a local TV Station. I moved out. Made some mistakes and ended up MARRIED!

Three years later.

I had a couple of bumps in the road and I ended up back at the beginning, actually much worse than I ever thought possible. My top weight was 242 pounds on my 5'6" frame. My doctor told me I was putting my life at risk being so overweight.

I didn't know where to begin.

So I took some sage advice from a childhood movie:

"When it all goes wrong, go back to the beginning"
- The Princess Bride

I started with what I knew. I joined WeightWatchers.com and diligently tracked all the foods I ate along with my workout (a session of Billy Blank's Tae Bo every morning, even Sundays).

After a year and without really noticing, I had lost 50 pounds.

My life really turned around.

But as time passed, I seemed stuck.

Now a year has come and gone and I've been stuck at the same weight. I've had multiple personal trainers and never managed to lose more than 10 pounds which I quickly gain back once our training sessions are over. Not that any one of the personal trainers wasn't great but I think my problem is something that a personal trainer can not fix. I've been working out albeit not consistently or regularly or even to the degree that I should be working out.

So I am pressing the reset button.

In 2009, I've started learning to play guitar, learning to play drums, learning to play the piano, returned to my hobbies of Photography and Running and even starting to write again.

I am determined to kick-start and start reaching my goals again.

In March of 2009 I started training for the Seven Mile Bridge Race.

I started running longer and longer distances and I got hooked.

I started signing up for Races.

• Mercedes Benz Corporate Run 2009

• Tour of the Gables 5K

• J4★5k

I wasn't going out to set any records but just to be other there with other people running is a wonderful feeling!

Then I took the plunge and went for a half-marathon at 13.1 Fort Lauderdale

Next, I'm signed up for the ING FULL MARATHON!

Wish me luck!