Yeah baby!!!!

The race was awesome! The weather was absolutely perfect!!!!

The route was great...just not much to see around mile 2-4....but then at mile 4, I saw THIS:

Of course, How can I not get a burst of energy after that??? :)

I came in at 59'21''!!!! So just under an hour...which was my first goal. Maybe next time I will come under 58 minutes!

Tomorrow is race day!!!

Tomorrow is my 10K.

I would lie if I didn't say I was a little tiny nervous!. I know I can run the distance....but I'm worried about the pace.

The hubs said to just go out there and have fun...does he NOT know me? I have goals!. I doubt I'll be able to meet my 58 minute goal. I ran the distance (6.2 miles) on Sunday and it took me 1 hr 5 minutes. I don't think I can shave a whole minute/mile...

The slice of pizza and glass of wine I just had may not help. Ok, who am I kidding...the slices and the glasses. In my defense, I think I totally deserved them. It was a long day....the poor guys are having a tough time after the shots on Tuesday :( ...not sure if I feel worse for them or for me for enduring 3 days of pretty constant screaming. Did I mention they don't like pacifiers?

Yep, glasses of wine....well deserved. Told ya.

Won't be beating my old personal record...

But I just signed up for a 10K race on March 6th!!!.

If you remember, I ran my first race (ever) a little over a year ago. It was a 10K race and I did better than I expected!. I ran it in 53 mins and 21 seconds.

This year I won't have as much time to train...and I have these extra lbs that slow me down. I'm setting a personal goal of doing this in 58 minutes. That's a pace of 9'21''. My current average is about 10'10'' (according to my Garmin Forerunner!). That would be shaving a whole 5 minutes from the expected time if I ran it with my current average...in less than 2 months. That was my same goal for my first race...but things are a bit different now.

I know it doesn't sound like a very aggressive goal...but keep in mind I have two lil' chunky monkeys to take care, I'm sleep deprived and don't have much time to train!.

So 58 minutes it is :)

Ok, so about that race...

There are a few things I wanted to share...

• I actually planned not to go. As a matter of fact, the night before I headed off to bed early because I was exhausted from a pretty stressful week at work. I didn't set the alarm and I didn't plan a "race outfit" (which in my mind is half the fun of racing).
  
  
• At 6am my eyes were wide open and it was completely dark out. Was it my alarm? Did I have a trip down guilty lane and set it up in a last minute after a few glasses of wine?. Nope. The noise was coming from the other side of the bed. No, it wasn't a bear...it was my dear husband snoozing snoring away.
  
  
• I thought about the race...but I said to myself , "come on...you already planned NOT to go...just go back to sleep and pretend this perfectly timed wake-up call never happened". It was too late....I was up. I knew this race, being small, had the potential to give me something I wanted: an award.
  
  
• Without thinking about it too much, I was up and quickly put together an outfit, which I thought was perfect for the occasion. Gave a kiss to my husband and before going back to sleep he said "go get 'em baby!".
  

I drove down and made it just in time. I forgot the camera, but it was a beautiful morning and the race took place in a nice little neighborhood. I felt great but kept looking around...for being a small race, these people sure looked serious. Everyone was stretching, wearing serious running clothes, etc.

I decided t start the race towards the start line..so what if people passed me?...maybe it would stress me out and make me faster. It worked. The race started and I was running like I was being chased by a Grizzly bear/ People were still passing me, which only made me want t go faster.

After a little while I settled into a nice pace, which I knew was faster than my regular pace...but I felt good and was going at it while I could. After about mile 2, this woman in her 70s passed right by me. I was like "wwwwhat?"...I don't think so lady!...yeah, you!..are you calling me slow??. So I picked up the pace and passed her. Then she passed me again, then I passed her (and on and on....you get the point). Then a guy in his 70s joined the fun. Great, I was racing against the two *awesomest* senior runners in the race (and the couple of teenagers a few meters away).

So, yeah. I owe my pace to the Senior runners (who are a true inspiration!!) and I also learned a valuable lesson. No matter how fast and great you think you are, nobody is going to be cheering for you at the finish line if you come right next to the 12 year old boy and the 73 year old lady. I was so happy when I heard the "crowds" (ok, it was like 20 people tops), but then I quickly realized they weren't cheering for me.

The guy in his 70s came up to me after the race and told me I was "Dynamite" and he said I was very fast...HA!...Seriously? God Bless him....but we all know who's Dynamite!

I stuck around for the awards after finding out I came in second in my age group. While I waited I talked and joked around with a really nice couple. The guy is part of the board for the Running Club I joined, and he definitely motivated me to get out there soon and meet the other runners during the group runs.

So that's my story for my first 6K race and instant PR!

Valentine's Day 6K Race!

Loop around the Lake Race!

I actually woke up and did it. Will write more later, but came in 2nd in my age group at 29'46''! (7'59 mins/mile)

Instant personal record since it was a 6K...Sweeeet!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!
xoxo

Addition: Yeah...so let me come clean. There were only 8 women in my age group, but who's counting right?...2nd place is 2nd place!...so I'll take it and celebrate like it's 1999!!!. I am also making a mental note to always make time to go to small races!

Race for the Cure!

What a great race!!!. It was a chilly but beautiful morning!. Tati made us matching shirts and they were so cute!. I am very proud of her because she's not a runner and ran the entire race... finishing at 33 minutes!. She said that thinking about the tough fight her friend Daniela is facing gave her strength to keep going. All the women that are in this fight are just amazing. It was very emotional to see everyone there that day supporting this great cause. I think I will definitely keep doing this race every year.

From an actual "race" perspective it was great too. Like with my 10K, I was on my way to set a personal record no matter what my time was...this being my first 5K!. My goal was to come in at 25 minutes (8 min/mile). We had a slow start...we were way in the back of the start line and there was so much people! (plus we were taking a few pictures and shedding the occasional tear).

My final time was 26'15''/ 8'26'' per mile and I came in #20 in my age group (out of 200+ women!). I am pretty excited and felt great during the race...so even though I didn't come in at 25 minutes I'm still happy with my time. I'm looking forward to doing another 5K with less people, to see what my time would be. This racing really gets addictive!. I'm also well on my way on my secret evil plan to turn my sister into a runaholic so I have someone to train/race with ;)

I did catch a cold and have been sneezing all weekend!. I guess I'm not used to running in cold air!..I don't know how runners do it in the freezing temperatures in other states!! I'm a spoiled runner with great weather and flat terrain! ;)

In January I met my 40 miles/month goal. Actually I barely made it...the total was actually 39.9!...but nothing in the rules said anything about rounding ;)

Here are a few pictures from the race. Happy Monday!




Here is me taking off (Tati agreed with the husband and confirmed that I run "funny"...I guess I move my upper body more than it's needed...lol).



And here is Tati coming in!!! Good job sis!!!!

Running the Sahara...

I just watched the documentary that followed the 3 guys that ran through the Sahara. It was pretty amazing (and crazy!!!). It took them 111 days, they never took a day off and it was over 7,000 kilometers!. The guys were running more than a marathon a day!!!!!!!. I can't even image the physical and the mental challenges those guys went through.

You would think after watching, I would feel inspired to go out for a run...you know, challenge myself. Well, not really. I am in my PJs (and have been for a while I must admit). I'm having a major case of laziness today!.

So I'm lazy, but do plan to challenge myself....just not today ;))

With that in mind, I found a few races I'm thinking of committing to:

- The Loop Around the Lake 6K Valentine's Day Run (February 14th)

or maybe this one...

- For the Love of Children 5K Walk/Run (February 21st)

and then I found the perfect challenge for me. Not quite a 10K (6.2 miles), not quite a Half Marathon (13.1 miles)...

- 32nd Annual Shamrock 10 Miler (March 15th)

Seems like the perfect distance for me and the right time for training!!!

I'll go back to being lazy now!

Nah...the moment has passed!

I came to my senses last night and decided I don't think it's a good idea to sign up for that race. If I'm going to do a half, I'm going to do it right. There will be plenty more opportunities and the common theme for runners that get injured, is that they did too much too fast.

So anyway, after being momentarily blinded by the shiny medal and realizing it hasn't even been 6 months since I first started running, I will pass.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On other exciting news, I've chosen my organization space for January!. The closet in the Blue room (aka the guest room!). It's not that it is too messy (because I basically pushed the mess to the corners), but it's not comfortable enough for guests (no hangers, space to tuck away things, etc). So get ready closet and tell all your buddies, you've won a mini make-over!

Should I?

131Miami

Someone. Stop. Me

This is probably not a good idea -- But it looks like so much fun!

And who cares if I can't run the entire 13.1 miles?. They do say the race is "walker friendly".

I love what they say in their slogan, "13.1 Marathon - It isn't half of anything!".

Plus everyone gets a shiny medal at the end. A pretty, *shiny* medal.

Someone talk me out of this, I'm not really ready...am I?

Instant personal record!!!

No matter how good or bad I did, today I was on my way to setting a personal record, since this was my first race EVER!.

Of course, it IS always better to set an amazing personal record...and I am pumped with my results!!!!!

• There were a total of 305 finishers in the race...I was #148 - 49th percentile.
• There were a total of 22 women in my age group...I was #5 - 23rd percentile.
• My time.....53:21.2 minutes, 8:36 pace per mile!!!

I know what you are thinking.......what the heck??...didn't I set out for a 9 something mins per mile goal!???. Yes I did!...but it turns out that I don't suck as badly as I did. I shouldn't day it that way, let me try again. I am a lot faster than I thought I was and all this time I have been underestimating my runs!. It turns out my Nikeplus needs to be re calibrated. According to my Ipod, I ran 5.8 miles and averaged 9:13 mins/mile!.

The good news is I am actually performing better than I thought I was...the bad news is I have to recalibrate the Nikeplus!. Wven with that minor problem, I absolutely LOVE the Nikeplus addition to my Ipod and recommend it to anyone that's looking into getting into running. It is an awesome motivational tool, very user friendly and it's an easy way to keep track of your runs. Even without being properly calibrated, I know how much I improve week to week...and that's what really matters to me.

So how was the race??.. AWESOME!!!!. Just look at the beautiful scenery we had as a back drop....

I started this morning waking up early to have some breakfast with a cup coffee,and WATER!. I know in order to perform, I need to have some fuel...so I wanted to get something in me an hour before the race. After that, I was ready to go and so excited to just get there! (pardon the morning face, but look at the happy face ;))

Alejandro (my awesome loving supporting husband!) came with me to document the experience :) . We got there and were surprised at the number of people that were there!. We went to get my chip and number and I was ready to go (after two potty breaks!).

I was very worried about getting too caught up with the excitement that I really wanted to watch my speed as we took off. Now that I look at me Nikeplus graph I am amazed at the straight line!!! I really did keep my pace throughout the entire race!!!.

During the first mile started I got very emotional. I seriously thought I was going to break down crying right then and there. As I was running, with all these people around me and such an awesome view, all I could think about was...my dad. My dad was a marathoner...and he has ran many marathons and practice runs all around the world (he would run in whatever city he needed to go to for work). All I could think about was that my dad had probably ran that same run...maybe not in a race...but he probably ran that same trail during one of his trips. Then I thought how exciting it was to know that I was literally following his foot steps!!. He's my hero, so I am honored to do anything that closely resembles his foot steps (in my case, a lot slower foot steps...haha!). So I had my little moment there...I got a little teary eyed as I looked at the beach...then I thought..."here we go dad! let's do this"...and I started to get into my pace :) Since my dad is my number 1 reader, maybe you think I am making this up to keep him hooked on reading the blog!...haha, but believe me...I had a moment there!!

Mile 2-4 were pretty good...good pace, I felt good. After Mile 4 I kicked it up a notch to finish strong. At Mile 5. I couldn't believe my timing!

When I saw Alejandro at the finish line and saw what my time was, I couldn't believe it!!!. I was just thrilled!!!. I am so excited and feel proud I did what I set out to do..

So here, publicly, I announce that in 2009 I will be signing up for more races and hope to run a half marathon!. I haven't found a good one that fits the time frame and location, but as soon as I do..I'll be posting it here! :)

So yes, I'm hooked and loving it!!.

Thank you everyone that has followed my journey to this race....I really appreciate it :)

Erpapin...we did it!!!!!!!...next year I'm bringing the sisters with me!

Happy Sunday!!!

Almost there!

I'm not doing any real runs this week (other than the short/fast paced runs in the Boot Camp class). I want to give the good ol' legs a rest before this Saturday!

Tomorrow is my last day of Boot Camp..I'm upset because I won't be able to continue attending this class because they switched the time and it will be too late for me. It did serve a good purpose though, it gave me extra energy and I remembered what it was like to be truly challenged in a workout...so in 2009, I will be on a quest for a new boot camp class that I can commit to. I am also happy to report I actually do enjoy working out in the mornings! I almost don't know what to do with myself with all that free time after work! ;)

Tomorrow, up early for the last class and a good stretch at night to be ready in the morning!. Yippeee! I'm pretty excited :)

Under 58 minutes...

* Before the update I just wanted to let you all know I am running the 5K Race for the Cure, to support my sister's friend, Daniela. Please visit the link on the right and support our team (Tati is our team Captain!). You can sponsor us and/or come join us. Come on, a little bit can make a big difference and we want to show Daniela that she's not alone in this fight!. What better way to start the year than by giving to an important cause while getting fit in the mean time!!. Papi, gracias por tu apoyo :))) te quiero! *


Ok, now to the update you all have been waiting for...yeah, yeah, I know nobody was waiting, but humor me :)

Under 58 minutes...

Is my goal for the 10K race next weekend!. Today, I had my long practice run...while I won't tell you it was *easy*, I will tell you I felt ok throughout...a little tired right around Mile 5, but decided to drop the pace a little bit to catch my breath. I finished strong (or so I thought)...completing 6.33 miles (my farthest run yet..and I had Lance Armstrong on my Nike+ to remind me about that fact!). My average pace was 9'35'' mins/mile...not too shabby :)

The last time I ran over 6 miles, was October 24th. That day I ran 6.23 miles and my average pace 10'13'' min/mile...so I shaved 38 seconds per mile in under 2 months. This may not sound like a lot, but it is!!

That long run in October, was when I decided to go to the Doctor for the foot pain and found out about the Neuroma...shortly thereafter, I started the alcohol treatments which has definitely slowed down my training (since I am down for two whole days every two weeks!)...but it has been all worth it!.

Why under 58 minutes?...well, I used a handy little Calculator and decided that I *think* I could average 9'20'' min/miles on race day. I didn't have a method for estimating this, and I'm sure serious runners are probably laughing at my estimates and less than scientific method for selecting a goal, but it just seemed like a good number to me...so we will go with that!

That's 15 secs less per mile, which is 93 seconds less for the 10K (1.55 minutes less than my time today). Again, seems like a little goal, but it really isn't. I'll be thrilled is I can achieve that goal!.

After the run it was time to get dinner ready. The husband asked for "Beef Tostadas" for dinner and even though I was tired, I couldn't say no because he never has any requests when it comes to dinner (and some days I need some help with ideas!), so when he does have a request, I simply can't resist. Let me tell you, I enjoyed them so much too!. They were Delicious!!...of course I had to have fresh salsa and guacomole as add-ons (yummm!). While we were eating I told Alejandro one day I will take him to best tostada place ever. If you are from Caracas you know what I'm talking about...Santa Ana Tostadas!....ahh, so good. Now, I am ready for a warm shower and then going right back to my vampire stories! (I'm almost at the end of the book! sniff, sniff!).

I leave you with my graph from Nike for today's run..Not sure if you can tell (you can click it to see a bigger picture), but I slowed down to about 9'49'' and then sprinted a bit at the end, pretending I was finishing the race..hehe, my head just works in funny ways! (the top there is about 6'59'')

I'm here to brag...

Because well, it's my blog, so I can! ;))

Click, click!!! (I promise it is safe to click!) ---> Bragging

So yeahhh, I did it!!. To celebrate my new Milestone, the big 1-0-0, I gave my Nike-mini a mini make-over...she's also sporting a brand new shining "#1" Tag on her shirt, so she can brag all over town (ok, all over this blog, but whatever).

I simply can't believe I have RAN all those miles!. I started at a pace of 11.5 or so, now I'm in the 9s. My average run (according to the Nike+ site) is 3.5 miles long. That's just, my regular, good ol', average run!...WOW!!. I just can't believe it. That's the thing I love the most about running, you really see the improvement when you stick to it. I've also noticed that a good strength/toning routine for the legs really helps with the pace and overall feel when you run.

This week it was tough, due to a cold...but I went running yesterday and had a GREAT run! 4.5 miles, averaging 9.38 mins per mile!. Tomorrow is the day I practice the 10K distance (which is just a little over 6 miles)...exactly one week before the race, so wish me luck! :)

On another note, I've become a vampire fanatic along with all the other teenagers in the country. I know I'm not the only one in her twenties (...*thirties*..cough, cough) that has fallen in the spell....so I'm not ashamed, well, maybe a little, but hey...how can I, a simple human, not fall for the dazzling effects of these vampires! ;)

Coming soon, pictures of our Christmas decorated house!! :)

It's Official - Part Two

I signed up for Boot Camp!!!. Due to my crazy schedules (between travelling and my Podiatrist treatment), I had to get on a modified schedule and the first session starts on 12/3.

No time to mess around, I need to be ready to go for my 10K in one month and let's face it, I want to say happy New Year feeling good about how I look...so here is the plan.

Week 11/17 - (this week-Morton's treatment #2)

• Mon - Off for Morton's treatment
• Tue - Pump Class
• Wed - Off (girl's night out ;))
• Thu - Ran 3.7 miles
• Fri - Plan to run between 3-4 miles
• Sat - Plan to run in the AM prior to leaving to Orlando! (Girl's weekend!!)
• Sun - TBD (depending at the time I get back home)

Week 11/24:

• Schedule updated (on the right).

Week 12/1: (Morton's treatment #3)

• Pump 1 day
• Boot Camp 3 days
• 2 short runs (3-4 miles)
• 1 long run (6 miles)

Week 12/8: (travelling)

• Boot Camp 1 day
• 3 short runs on threadmill (3-4 miles)
• 1 long run at home (6 miles)

Week 12/15: (Morton's treatment #4)

• Pump 1 day
• Boot Camp 3 days
• 2 short runs (3-4 miles)
• Saturday 10K RACE!!!

And there you have it. A plan....Ahhh, I feel better already!!!!!

It's Official!!!

One month from now I will be running in my first 10K!.

Did you all think I had been slacking?????...well, uhmm, yeah, I have been. Between this foot problem and travelling...and...well, I'll admit it, I've spent some time with that friend I like to call "Mr. Lazy". I need a kick in the behind and get moving!. I decided to not wait any longer and finish my registration for the race! and now, I'm officially registered to run on December 20th!!!

I'm also looking into joining a boot camp class in the mornings. I hate working out in the mornings, but maybe it's like an acquired taste or something. I thought the people that said they had a "great run" were lying just like the ones that said working out in the mornings gives them "energy for the entire day". Now that I know there IS such a thing as a 'great run', let's see if there is such a thing as a great morning workout.

I'm waiting to hear back from the instructor and set up a new routine. I figured weekly I could do:

- Boot camp 3 times a week (Maybe M-W-F)

- Two 3-4 mile runs (Tue and Thu)

- One long run (weekend)

I would like to fit a Pump or other Gym class in there somewhere. Maybe (just maybe) I really start loving this morning workout thing. If so, then maybe (again MAYBE) I could run Tuesdays and Thursdays in the morning and then do Pump Classes at night. Yep, it's nice to dream ;)

Not gonna lie, I'm skeptic, but we will see!