The Turtle Gains Some Speed!

Last week he could have out run me!

As I have been training I have become a little nervous. I really have been feeling slow in my runs. Sometimes I imagine the little kids being pushed in running carts watching me with curious expressions on their faces as they are pushed past me. I can almost hear them say to their parent..."Mommy, why is that lady running in slow motion?" To which their mother kindly replies..."Oh sweetie, she's just a new runner that has deluded herself into thinking she can run a ten mile race and not get swept." "Silly lady!" the child will reply and then they'll share in a wonderful bonding moment through laughter.


So, I sat down with myself and did some math. I added in the amount of time it would take me to snap some photos as I run.  Also, how much I would like to walk. Lastly, how much I can run. I came up with the following... 


photos + walking + running / current pace = you haven't got a snow ball's chance to not get swept


Yup. I was in trouble. So, I came up with a running goal of a 13 to 14 minute mile. My current running pace was anywhere from 15:45 to 16:30. I told you I was slow! I called up my friend who is a mom of four who knows how to push people to do their best. 

*Helpful Hint*...if ever you need help being lovingly pushed to do better call up a mother of many who is a runner.

She was a godsend! She met me early in the morning when the crickets were still serenading us and the streets were still empty. We started the run and she gave me some great advice...run like a deer. You know, push off of your toes. I imagined me frolicking in a woodland meadow which gave me the giggles. But I did as I was told and my stride was better. But boy did I find out what muscles I need to target this week for strength! In the end I was still able to carry on a conversation (at times) without having long pauses between my sentences AND my time improved! I ended up with a 14:27 per mile pace...woohoo! Yeay for me!


This week my goal is to keep that pace during my Tuesday training session and my Saturday 8 mile long run. Thursday my goal is to do some hill work. 

*Miracle #2007*...there is a hill in a South Florida park that isn't an overpass! Or a dump.

Meanwhile, I will keep up the cross training. I have a little group at work that is beginning to exercise with me after work. I sure am glad to have friends help me out with training and friends/family with encouragement to do this. From "turtle speed" to "time to take pictures of the turtle and not get swept speed"... here I come! 

Photos to document the journey

Hello gang!

It has been a while and life got really busy. A better blog entry is soon to come. But in the meantime I wanted to share something kind of fun! Well, fun for me. So I have decided to practice carrying a camera. I figured I would definitely like to take pictures along the course during my upcoming races. Plus, I can shoot some video at the same time. The following are some of the photos I have shot so far on my training runs. 

June 30, 2012...3 mile run 

June 30, 2012...sunrise

I shall name him Stretchy and he shall be my Stretchy.

Saturday July 7, 2012...6.11 mile run

The lake I run around. I love the yellow tones of a sunrise.

Same place I shot the very first sunrise shot. Notice the sun is lower this time because
the runner was smarter and started her run earlier.

Beautiful isn't he? He wished me luck as he saw me gasping for breath.

Saturday July 21, 2012...7.11 mile run

You would almost think I was in the country side and not a park in Florida.

Same place as sunrise #1. This guy was dressed as if he
had been running and just decided to go fishing right after.

I hope you are all chasing your challenges and making them your achievements. Talk to you soon!

Cristina

First "Long Run" Of Me Tower Of Terror Training

Lesson Learned!

Guess what happens when you haven't been running consistently for the past three weeks? Yup. All sorts of new lessons in running.


 The day was beautiful. A little cloudy and it didn't feel like it was too hot. I had a good breakfast, sucked down a bunch of water, and with a happy grin on my face changed into my running clothes. Strapping on my new Garmin Forerunner 110 I was eager to hit my favorite unmarked mileage trail. I also grabbed my interval trainer (which was set at my three weeks ago pace) and for the first time my tunes. Usually I run with my training buddy but she wasn't feeling up to par so I wanted a little musical motivation. No worries, good training for my solo run anyway. Off to the park!


Before leaving the car to hit the trail I drank a bit more water. Was it getting hotter? It was only 10 a.m.. After a warm-up period I hit the timer/gps mileage tracker on my watch and was off! Very pretty day at the park. Lots of little ducklings, families, and pit bulls. My tunes were a good cadence setter for me but what was up with this pace? Holy cow! It wasn't this hard three weeks ago! So I turned off the interval trainer. Lesson one...never slack on training and then expect to pick up where you left off.


Summer in South Florida can be brutal. The humidity alone can lay you out even on a cloudy day. And this day was no exception. It quickly began to become a sauna. Why didn't I bring my water with me? By mile one I was thirsty and hot. I got a little relief when it began to sprinkle. I also began to run/walk/walk/run. All I began to think about was Jeff Galloway's advise not to push too hard that you'll injure yourself. That and my water in the car and the pit bull that looked at me like I was a chew toy when I passed it. Lesson two...always bring water with you and remember that rain can be the runner's manna from Heaven. Also, the early in the morning run or evening/night run won't kill you as quickly as a mid-morning run.


By now I was at a walk/walk/sad attempt at running/walk pace. Ooo! Cute guy alert! Hard to flirt when you are red as a beet and almost panting. Water....water...water...water...pavilion with water!!! I knew where there was a water fountain! I veered off of the jogging path and started walking along the road within the park to the pavilion. If a car hit me now I might actually have enjoyed the brief ride on the hood. I would have been that much closer to the water fountain! But I found it without getting hit and none too soon. Sweet sweet germ-y water fountain! I sipped some, splashed some on my face, and grinned at a guy that must have thought I was nuts. I then looked down at my watch. 2.98 miles in 48 minutes. Woohoo! Just a little more and I will have hit three miles! Wooohoo! Wooo...hoo...ooo...aw crud!!! I forgot to turn around at 1.5 miles! Lesson three...no matter how tired or hot you are always remember you have to run back the same amount of miles as you ran away from your car.


It was only about two miles back to my car...maybe less as I tried to cut through fields. All in all it was a good run with some very good lessons learned. The next "long run" will be four miles. I will be sure to start off earlier in the morning, bring water, and turn around at the two mile mark so it doesn't turn into a six mile run. And perhaps a squeaky toy I can throw if a pit bull decides to play. 

Hi! I'm Cristina and I used to hate running. Now I actually have begun to enjoy it. See that mustache wearing cutie next to me? That's my niece and it is because of her that I have found the joy in running again. That and a good sports bra. My journey into running really began about 5 years ago. 


I weighed about 40 lbs more back then and wanted to do something about the 91lbs of extra weight I was carrying. So I signed up for the Muddy Buddy with a friend. It was a fun race. In training for it I had lost about 13lbs. However, I did not find the joy in running. I found the joy in challenging myself and the camaraderie of my fellow runners but not in the running itself. Maybe I just wasn't ready.


Three years later I entered the Expedition Everest Challenge. Again, I loved the camaraderie  and the challenge but it just wasn't enough to get me into running. Flash forward three years, 60 lbs weight-loss, 20 lbs weight gain, the big four oh birthday, and six months of personal trial after trial. Something had to give and I didn't want it to be a backward slide into Potato Couchland. With an overly burdened mind and a yummy brownie in my hand I turned to my niece and asked her if she would like to run with me in the 5th annual Expedition Everest Challenge. To my surprise she said she would love to! Really? Wow, okay then. My fellow couch potato was ready to build some much needed self esteem. We would do this together.


I had a fantastic time training for the race with her. Suddenly I began to really enjoy the running and not just the companionship. I loved the way I felt after a run and I actually looked forward to the next run. With this new enjoyment came the insane act of signing up for The Tower of Terror Ten Miler. Ten miles....ten miles...what was I thinking? I asked a friend to sign up with me but the race filled up before she could register. Could I do this on my own? I have started to believe I can.


Flash forward again a few months to the Expedition race. It was a blast! Never had I had so much fun in a race. My niece was a trooper. We encouraged each other the entire time and laughed along the way. As we left the park - proudly wearing our medals - she turned to me and asked if we were doing it again next year. Of course! Then we hugged and she talked about how she couldn't feel her legs. She also talked about how she wished both of her parents could have been there to see her start the race and then see her and greet her as she walked triumphantly to the car with her medal around her neck. On the way to the hotel she thanked everyone in the van for coming out to see her and expressed to them how much it truly meant to her and how much she loved them*.


And now she is going to help me train for the TOT in September. Plus, we have decided to enter the Donald Half Marathon 2013 together. This 14 year old helped pay for her entrance fee. I think the self confidence has finally begun. Now you my friends can follow our journey as we train together for my solo TOT and our joint Half Marathon. I plan to lose the rest of this weight and become one hot potato! But I know I'll gain more than just health...I'll gain more self confidence for me and watch a wonderful young woman become a confident young woman.


Let's run!


* This experience taught me that throughout our lives what we most crave is the support from our parents and family. We never stop saying "Mom...Dad...look at me! Look at what I can do!" We all just want to make our families proud. I know it meant the world to me that my own parents came along to watch their daughter start a race even though they couldn't see me finish it. And that is why this blog is titled Look At Me Guys!