Official Countdown! ALL IN!! 13 Days ING NYC Marathon!!!

Yo!  So, we're 13 days away from the Marathon!
Somebody please tell me how I should be feeling.  Because my emotions and mind is all over the place @ this point.
I've got my shoes and my outfit ready to go.  Couple of things I keep stressing over is the fuel belt and how often I'm going to fuel on the way.  I for the life of me cannot decide if I'm going to carry the fuel belt I currently have w/the water bottles attached or just get one of those cute little packs to strap around my waist to carry everything.  I know I'll have 3 packs of GU and a KIND Bar.  I feel like I should have something else to eat along the way tho.
I've decided on what I'm eating in the morning before I head to the bridge and that's 4 eggs with cheese and 2 pieces of toast with peanut butter honey.  My absolute fave breakfast ever.
I've trained and followed the schedule the best I could over these 3 months, pushed my body to the limits, and have psyched my body into keep going so many times all it has to do is show up one more time to play in 13 days!
We'll go get our Chinatown massages on the 5th before we go to the Daily Show on Monday
My emotions are so out of it right now.  One minute I'm excited and the next I'm scared.  These feelings just go back and forth all day long.  It's pretty much been this way for weeks now.
We're tapering now, but I'm not sure if it's a true tapering for me because as you know I've had some issues w/my hips and have cut back on my miles for the last few weeks.
However, I have done my long Saturday runs, thrown in some treadmill miles, and even some speed interval training on the treadmill.  Now that we're in the tapering weeks tho I'm cutting back on those interval training sessions.  I don't want to risk anything.
I'm constantly watching where I step and making sure I don't fall.  I'm pretty clumsy anyways, but now I'm very watchful of my steps.  That being said, a couple of weeks ago I was walking to the ferry and twisted my ankle a bit.  It didn't hurt so bad I couldn't walk but it did ache a little on a couple of runs.  I think I'm better now.  Oh and yesterday, when I was putting up my new curtains I fell from the chair.  Lovely right.  Yep...that's my life.  And then I freak and then I thank God for not letting me break something.

All of the plans are made for the Marathon Eve dinner, The Friday Expo and number pick up, and where the family will cheer us on during the marathon.  We're also making reservations @ a bar near the park to go have our celebration dinner together.  That'll be the best part.

All 3 of us together in the end after all the qualifying races and all the training, the discussions, the morning runs...All of it and All of US Celebrating Together!  ME, LLOYD, and DIANA all embracing in our VICTORY and our HARD WORK
I've learned a few things about myself thru this training and journey.  The biggest thing is knowing I can push myself as far as I really want to go and if I put my mind to something I really believe in I know I can do it.  That is the most important lesson of all of this. Thru the days of getting up @ 4a, going to yoga in the same day I ran 8 miles the morning, or going to the gym that same night.  Trying to work on my diet and eat better.
All that being said, I don't know if there's anything else I could've done to prepare me for this.
I'm excited for my family to be here.  My dad, mom, and brother are all coming to watch and cheer.  We're going to have such a good time and rock this weekend.
I'll post at least another time before the 4th and probably a little more frantically, but I just want to say thanks to everyone for supporting me and reading my posts.
On November 5th, I'm on to the next thing and I'm already planning what I want to do.  So, there will be more writings to come.  Remember the post where I said I want to get strong.  I meant that and for 2013 that's the main goal.  I'm going to rock this Marathon, but I want to get stronger so I can rock it again and rock so many other things I have planned for myself.  I'm plan on pushing this old body further and further.  If I can do this Marathon I can do anything.

I'M ALL IN!  If you didn't know...now you do!

KC

xoxoxo

I'm Back Bitches and I've Got a Story to Tell!!

I'm back w/more miles under my belt and more to talk about.

I needed a break!  Not a break from running!!  But a break from blogging, from tweeting, from reading about running, reading about fitness, and reading about nutrition.  All of it had suddenly became so overwhelming to me. I felt like I wasn't living up to what everyone else was doing and what I thought I should be doing.  Even though I've been logging more miles than I had ever ever done and doing video workouts, and planks, and burpees, and lunges, and stretches and eating better and cooking from home and drinking more water than I thought I could drink.  I felt I wasn't doing enough.  I started to compare my fitness life to other fitness lives and it was just turning into a thing that I never wanted it all to be.  I needed a change and a break.  I needed to feel normal again and feel like myself.  I feel like this world of the internet is so much sometimes and everyone is always in such a "happy" "good" place and it seems like everything is so effortless for some.  I'm not a pinterest quote or picture, I'm a real person.  Not to mention, I'm older and I've been sittin' around for a lot of years.  My body hurts, my feet hurt, my hips hurt, my legs are constantly swollen.  My boots from last winter are tighter on my swollen man legs, my skinny jeans are tighter on my swollen man calves.  I have to wear my running shoes to work some times because I can't walk in anything else.  

HOWEVER, all that being said, I emotionally feel more confident, more powerful, and stronger than I have since I was a girl playin' ball.  I'm in more control of so many things in my life.  I feel more positive on the outlook of my life. Fitness, running, and weight loss has completely changed my life.  Like a lot of things in my life it's a love/hate relationship, but I know now that it's one thing I can not and will not give up.

Here's what my training schedule looked like on a weekly basis for about 8 weeks until I decided to slow it down.  My alarm goes off 3 week days @ 4a.  I am up getting ready for my run @ 430, eating my banana w/almond butter and almond milk.  I'm out my door by 5a for no less than 4 miles a day.  It takes me almost an hour to run 5 so I have to be done running by 6a to be able to stretch properly, walk back to my apartment, and get ready for work.  (Later in my schedule it calls for sometimes 6-8 miles on a Wed so on those days I'm out by 430a..yep alarm @ 330a).  Since I don't eat breakfast out anymore I make my toast and/or eggs in the morning before I leave.  I leave my apartment @ 720 to catch a 745 boat and I'm @ work by 9a and work until 6p.  Then, I was coming home to do videos, burpees, and planks every single night.   Since I ran on both Saturday (long runs) and Sundays and also sometimes was doing yoga, there was limited time for grocery shopping and a social life, and not to mention cleaning my apartment and doing laundry and everything in between.

You know, I say all that to say, man...HUGE PROPS, HIGH FIVES, KISSES, and everything to all you women out there who are doing all this with kids/families and not just one kid, but multiple.  I seriously don't know how you do it.  I'm not complaining about my schedule, this is what I want to do right now in my life, but MAN...it has been a real roller coaster ride.  

I've been thinking about this Marathon for 2 years.  1 year to qualify and 1 year to get ready.  November 4th will be one of the biggest days of my life.  It'll be a day I've worked hard for, I've trained for, I've suffered injuries for, and am sooooo looking forward to.  I will be ready and nothing's going to stop me @ this point if I have to crawl to the finish line.  Plus, my whole family's coming and I cannot bow out now.  It's a done deal.  A huge deal!!  I have something to prove to myself and I'll be damned if I'm not going to do that.

I've started thinking about next year's plans and what I wanna do to follow up one of the biggest days ever.  I will rest for a few weeks and let my hips heal properly before I get back out there, but I will not stop running.  Next year I wanna do mud runs (hello Tough Mudder), and NYRR half marathon series.  That's a half marathon in every borough.  I think I want to qualify for another marathon in 2014.  I don't know about that one yet, but I'm thinking about it.  Check back in w/me on November 5th and see how I feel.  But, I also want to spend more time @ the gym and toning my body to get strong.  Some kickboxing would be nice.  I love kickboxing.  

Okay Okay..So, now for the DL on my running the last few weeks.  The past 3 Saturdays have been my longest most important runs yet.  When my 2 marathon buddies were running 16 & 18 miles previously, I was recovering from my hip soreness and when they ran 20 I was getting back out and running only 13.  I was so jealous they were able to do 20 and I was just doing a measly 13.  But, I knew it was coming for me and damn.....it sure did.  I ran my 16 miles with all of my weekly runs during the week so when it came to after 16 miles I was feeling pretty exhausted and I also did my Sunday run.  When I woke up on Monday I was feeling exhausted and burned out from all the training.  So, I decided to take my weekly runs as they come and not be so anal about all of it.  I've started 1-2 times during the week in the morning and I've been going to the gym @ night to strengthen my legs and hips and work on my core.  I HATE working my core.  I'm so weak there and so self conscious about it.  However, I am starting to see changes in the midsection.  It's not happening overnight, but it is happening.  :)  yay!!

The next Saturday I ran my 18 miles.  I couldn't believe it.  I didn't sleep that well that night, as my hips and legs were really hurting, but I got up the next day and I felt a lot better.  Maribel and I attempted Sunday Funday.  We went to a beer garden, had a good time, and continued to drink.  We both needed breaks and it felt sooo good.

Now forthe gold, yesterday I ran the longest run I've ever ran. It was four hours of running and jogging.  This, my friends, is where I tested my strength and my mental capability to keep going.  Once I hit mile 18 I was so happy and felt so good because I had now run more than ever.  But, @ mile 17 I had to go deep in my head and focus. I had to block out everything around me.  I was pumping myself up and telling myself how strong I am, how strong my legs and feet are, how I've worked so hard and I told myself a million times I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.  This pretty much went on for the next 3 miles.  Sometimes I would slip into am I capable of this?  Am I really going to be able to do this?  Did I try this too soon?  Did I work hard enough before I made the decision to run this marathon?  I was not out of breath and I was not feeling tired.  Everything I was feeling about stopping was all in my head.  This was such a mind game.
I needed a change in scenery for this run so I ran over the Brooklyn Bridge 2 times (once during a protest), I ran through Brooklyn over to the Williamsburg Bridge and decided I was not ready to go back into Manhattan and ran BACK over the Williamsburg, BACK through Brooklyn, and BACK over the Brooklyn Bridge.  Ran BACK over to the W. Side Highway and still had 9 MORE MILES TO GO.  AAAAGGGHHHHH!!!!   I fueled back up on GU, filled up my water bottles again and munched on a bar the whole way.  Keep in mind, I was hungry back @ mile 7!!!  Oh MY!!!  Then.....I was finally done and smelled burgers!!!  For those of you who don't know...I LOVE BURGERS!!!!  So, of course I got myself one.  Wouldn't you!!  Hey, don't judge!  It was Grass Fed Angus with a special sauce.  It was freakin' amazing.  I've recently started loving Grass Fed burgers.  yumyumyum. OH yeah, and I had another burger (lamb) last night out w/Maribel and my first pumpkin beer ever.  Have to say...NoT a fan of the pumpkin beer.

So, this is everything you've been missing out on for the last 3 weeks.  Aren't you lucky.  I know you probably think I'm crazy and a little miserable for all of this.  Who can blame you after the first couple of paragraphs.  I started out this post giving you honesty.  I wanted to make sure I don't put out the feeling that everything is hunky dorey and easy because it's not.  I've worked hard to get here.  I've changed a lot over the last 2 years.  Heck, I've changed since I started to train.  I'm more motivated and disciplined, but I know what it takes to get where I wanna go and I'm willing to take the bumps in the road along the way.  I know when November 4th comes around I will be ready.  I have 35 days from today til it's here.  I have 1 more 18, and 20 miles before the big day and I can't wait because I think they're going to feel better the 2nd time around.    Please please don't take what I've said the wrong way.  I'm doing what I love and I'm doing what makes me feel good.  I feel so accomplished and so happy for the changes in my life I've made.  My other goal this year is to jump out of a plane.  I would like to still try to do it after the marathon, but I am DEF doing next year if it doesn't happen this year.  I am all about goals and striving to make the next year better than the last.

On that note, I'm going to bed.  It's past my bedtime.  I've been watching NJ Housewives while writing and now WWHL is on.  I hope you get my honesty here.  I wanted put in some pics, but it's too late now.  I'm tired.  I feel like I have more to say, but I think I've rambled enough for tonight

So, to all of you out there.....thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy because I truly enjoy writing this blog and keeping you up to date if you're so inclined to read it. Much appreciated!!

Deuces...
kc
xoxoxoxoxo

Just Doing ME!!!!

Bueno!  Bueno!  Bueno!!  I like starting off in Spanish.  :)

Okay.  Here goes.  I've been dreading this this week and questioned myself if I should give reasons/excuses as to why some of these goals were not completely accomplished.  I totally beat myself up over things so I've just decided to tell you what's been done and what's not been done, post goals for this week, move on and talk about something fun.

Kick Butt Goal -- Continue to follow my running schedule and work towards my Saturday long run.  Done.  Every day.   Okay, Okay..... I cannot tell a lie.  I didn't do Thursday's 3 miles.  Went for Happy Hour instead.  It was calling my name (I swear).  Hey, at least it was for charity.  And yes....I donated. Oh yeah, and I met a couple of other runners.  A chick whose ran several marathons.  Way impressive.  This was for TEAM in training so there were a few runners there.  Thanks to Q for inviting me!!!  

Core Goal -- Do Blogilates videos 3 times during the week and on Saturday after my long run.  Also do my daily #plankaday and my 30 burpees EVERY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This I did do.  And...no..I'm not lying.  I did Blogilates 3 times and also on Saturday I did my lunges and squats before I ran my 13 miles, also during my long run, and I did tons when I got back to Staten Island.  I did them on the Boardwalk along w/my #plankaday and also 30 Burpees.  Oh Crap!  I didnot do my burpees and plankaday on Thursday when I went to Happy Hour.  ugghhh..

Food Goal -- Eat from my fridge every day.  That means breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Try making something new at least twice this week.  I wanna make a little pizza one night.   I did make something new 3 times this week!  Yay!!  Does that extra day make up for anything I screwed up on above?  Just sayin'.  I got a new grill pan this week which I'm so excited about.  My chicken is so much tastier now.  That's really all I've used it for so far.  I told you my cooking skills are lacking.  Oh yeah, I also got a food scale.  Haven't used it yet, but I plan on it.  womp...womp....

Rest Goal -- Be in bed by 11p if not before every night!!!!    Ummm...let me think.  This I did.  Even happy hour night.  I got an early boat home and was in bed by I think it was like 1045 or so? Definitely before 11p, I promise...

Getting Rid of Goal -- Gotta get rid of my daily Red Bulls.  I did pretty good last week.  ...Not Good.  That Is All!!!

Calendar -- Get myself a dry erase board to write my goals and track my progress through the week and into the month. Ummm...nooo. Enough said.  :)


I guess this week I've learned that I'm not as disciplined as I thought I would be.  I live in an awesome city and sometimes it's hard to say NO!  Well, for me anyways.  I've always been that person that wants to be in the middle of things you know.  But, the good thing is there's always another day and another week to get back on track.  
But that being said, I never really lost track.  It's not like I sat on the couch and watched tv every day after work or slept in in the morning.  I still did my runs (13.1 in the rain), I stilled cooked @ home 5 days this week. That includes Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  That's not too shabby and better than what I was doing about a month ago.  So, I guess I can't be too hard on myself.  I really need to get rid of the Red Bull tho!  Other than the runs, cooking, blogilates THAT is a MUST.  The other 3 will always be a staple in my weekly goal and what I strive to be better in every day!!! 

Okay.  Glad that's over.  Moving on now...

So today I had the AWESOME & AMAZING opportunity to go to NYC Wanderlust Festival.  This was an amazing opportunity and something I wish I could do w/awesome wonderful people every single Sunday to get ready for the week.  I went w/my staple NYC BFF Maribel.  The event was also taking place in Los Angeles @ the Santa Monica Pier.  Yoga in the City festival benefits charities all over the world where wonderful beautiful people travel all around the world to teach yoga to people suffering from environmental damages, food shortages, etc.  Today in NYC they raised over $9k to benefit their charities.  The day started with Universal chants from Suzanne Sterling.  This started off the whole afternoon on such an awesome level for what was to come.  The yoga started from there.  Throughout the session there was a lot of moves & poses that I've never done before.  It became increasingly more difficult as the time went on.   We ended the session with a Wheel Pose (aka Back bend). PS.  I haven't done a back bend since probably 6th grade when I was in gymnastics.  lol.  But, I thought..WTH and actually did it 3 times!!!  It felt amazing!!  Like, I wanna do one now.  hahah..All in all, I would not have wanted to spend my afternoon anywhere else.  The weather was PERFECT!  The sun was HOT!  The grass COOL!  and the People AWESOME!  When we were finished I felt so relaxed and so ready to take on what is next. 

I didn't do my blogging duties @ the festival.  This is the only picture I took.  Slap on the hand.  This was @ the entrance into the venue.  The limit was 1000 people to register and I believe they sold out.  So, this picture doesn't even do justice of the event.  But believe me, it was awesome!   

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

And so here we are, 8 weeks til the Marathon and I don't think I've told you, but I'm scared to death of this thing.  It's going to take all I've got to get through that day. Hell, it's taking all I've got just to get there.  So, I'll keep preparing the best I can, the best I know how in the most positive way I can.  Every day is a different and new day and I just take one more step to make it happen.  

I'm not posting goals this week because I know what I need to do every day and every week and I can't take the way I beat up on myself when I don't do that goal perfectly.  It was not as easy for me as I thought it was going to be.  I'm just going to enjoy every day as it is and DO ME!!  That's all I've got for now.  I put enough pressure on myself.  Not to say I won't do it in the future, I just don't want to do it this week.  Not really what I'm feeling for the week.   

So, there you have it.  One more week down til Marathon and we're going to be here before we know it.  I have a lot of work to do.  I've run over 13 miles for the last 2 weekends in row.  Next Saturday is 16.  That's the most I've ever ran.  I'm looking forward to knocking out the short runs this week and getting to that day.  I get so nervous every single run, but also excited.  It's what keeps me going.  I love the push, the accomplishment, the confidence it all gives me.  All of this is the high I look forward to every single time I run.  At the end I evaluate how my body feels and what I can do differently next time.  Lately I'm running cold turkey w/no Music.  This really gets me in my zone and thinking about how I'm feeling.  Tons of time to think when you're in the middle of 13 miles.  However, I've been singing that damn Taylor Swift Song for 3 days now.  Never Ever EVer Getting BAck TOgether.  Over and over.  It's on one of the Blogilates videos so I can't get it out of my head.  Anywayssss...that's it for this Sunday.  

OMG!  How could I forget!!!  Another awesome thing that happened this week....I became a SWEATPINK Ambassador.  Check out the Fit Approach website and find out the word we're spreading.  It's a really RAD group of women promoting positivity in healthy lifestyles.  They're doing things I can't even imagine.  I mean Ironmans, Marathons, Ultra Marathons!  Shit I can't even think about right now!!  But, we all blog about it, tweet about it, pinterest about it, and facebook about it.  I love it!  And I am so proud to be a part of something that only moves women forward, inspires, and is intent on helping others.  

Okay...really..That's it for the week!  
Keep it moving!  Pay it Forward!  

kc
xoxooxoxoxo

Week 1 of Goal Setting.

Hola!!!  Hola!!!  Hola!!!

Alright, gonna make this a quickie tonight.  It's late and I need to get to bed.  Getting back on the morning running train tomorrow!  YAY!

Hope everyone had a fabulous Labor Day weekend!  I had a good one.  Quiet for the most part and goooood.  Went on a Sunday Craft Beer Booze Crooze.  That was a lot of fun and I hung out w/my fave all weekend.

I kept the miles low this week due to my hip issues I've been having.  I only ran 15 miles during the week and did 13.5 on Saturday.  I was pretty stoked about that one.  I started off the run thinking I was only going to be going 10 miles, but I just kept going.  I was feelin' really good.  I was fueling along the away with gatorade, chomped my GU before I left the house and made it all the way to the Verrazano Bridge. It's a pretty quiet run early on Saturday morning in Staten Island (except a lot of DOGS) (Not a dog person!).  There aren't that many runners out on Staten Island.  It's not like being in Manhattan and seeing all the people on your run.  These are pics of the Verrazano Bridge.  This is where the race begins with 40k people.  Over in the distance is Manhattan and Central Park is where it ends.  We run through all 5 boroughs.

I told my mom I expect it to take about 5 hours or so to finish and she was like "What am I gonna do for 5 hours?  Stand there and wait for you to run by."  I thought that was so funny.  Yes, mom...Yes...you are.  lol.  Hopefully we'll map out a route for them to be able to go to each borough and watch.  That's the plan anyway.  We're going to have posters and everything!!! I'm so excited.  My mom and dad are both coming.  It's the first time for my Dad to come to NYC, so I can't wait to show him a few things.   Show him where I live and what it's like.  Beyond excited!!

After my Saturday run I met with Maribel to get her some running shoes.  She started running this weekend! I'm so excited and eventually we'll be going on runs together.  YAY!

I'm trying to start consciously eating better in order to give me more energy and to help get rid of my midsection.  On that note, we went to Trader Joe's and I attempted to load up my cart with healthier options.  Maribel's all into Nutrition ya know (food4thoughtnyc.wordpress.com).  She's sort of an expert and is totally helping me get into this whole eating better thing.  She even started us a pin board to help me w/recipes.  (That's what friends are for!).

With all the goodies I bought I made myself a yummy yummy delicious salad tonight.  It turned into so much more than I had originally planned.  I started adding and mixing and it just became so freakin' good.  I can't wait to take it to lunch tomorrow.  It has a ton of protein.  I'm not a fan of veggies, but I'm working on adding them into my diet.  Corn is my fave vegetable.  lol.  I know...My salad turned into more of a mexi-salad by the end and it was so filling.  I also don't like to cook, so when I tell you I spent nearly an hour making this damn salad, that is HUGE for me.  Lloyd used to try to teach me to cook when he was here and I was totally not having it.  So, now I"m stuck figuring it out by myself because I refuse to listen to him.  Stubborn asss.

I'm working on my core exercises and I've told you before I have discovered Cassey Ho (blogilates).  I'm having such a hard time working in both videos and my running all together thru the week.  It's been either one or the other.  With my sore hip I have GOT to work in my core training, squats, and lunges.  I did it all today before my 3 mile run and my run felt sooo good.  I just have to get stronger!!

That leads me to my weekly goals.  This will help me stay accountable for my actions and give you an update @ the end of the week on my progress.  I just know you will be waiting by your computer for the progress I've made.  Just kidding, obvi.  But, here it is...

Kick Butt Goal -- Continue to follow my running schedule and work towards my Saturday long run.

Core Goal -- Do Blogilates videos 3 times during the week and on Saturday after my long run.  Also do my daily #plankaday and my 30 burpees EVERY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Food Goal -- Eat from my fridge every day.  That means breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Try making something new at least twice this week.  I wanna make a little pizza one night.

Rest Goal -- Be in bed by 11p if not before every night!!!!  

Getting Rid of Goal -- Gotta get rid of my daily Red Bulls.  I did pretty good last week.  Ended up going all week w/out one but then just had to have it on Friday.  Not doing that this week!

Calendar -- Get myself a dry erase board to write my goals and track my progress through the week and into the month.

These are all pretty challenging for me and so important.  They're really goals I should have every week.  I just need to stay focused with my eye on the PRIZE!  The prize first and foremost is my health, but the 2nd prize is definitely making it to the START line on November 4th.  I can't wait to tell that story

So, I guess that's it for now.  Maybe I'll write a random blog this week if I have time and give an update on my goals.  hmmmm...

What are you doing this week to stay focused and on track?  Let me know.  I would love to hear your progress.  It helps us all to stay inspired and motivated by each other.

Hope you all have a fabulous week!


KC
xoxoxoxo

10 Day Mental Check

Hola! Check Check Mental Check.  I'm having a hard time figuring out what to write about tonight since I haven't been able to run in 10 freakin' days.  You don't come here to read about my day to day boring ass life so I'm gonna try to pull somethin' out here that you might be interested in.

It's been a tough 10 days and I've had a few breakdowns in the meantime just feeling like every couple of weeks I get behind on my training again with some injury.  But, luckily for me I have a few little birdies whispering in my ear trying to keep me alive and motivated.  It is sooo hard not being able to run and feel like you're sinking and don't have enough time to get prepared.  This is such a huge thing and I'm sacrificing a lot to get to this day.  

So, I have been on a mission to find things to keep my cardio up and help to get me more strong.  I started Jilian Michaels crossfit video and was only able to do that for a couple days because it was irritating my hip further.  So, I decided to take a step back on that for a few days and went to yoga.  Oh yeah, then I went to Happy Hour on Thursday (haven't done that in a while).  Like, a real Happy Hour, where I stayed out late and was totally hung to the moon on Friday.  So, because of that I did absolutely no workout on Friday.  But, I sooo needed that night out.  Oh yeah, retail therapy (NEW SHOES!!!) to help as well with the random depression.  So, all in all the week ended pretty well.

In the midst of everything throughout the week I discovered a new awesome amazing website called Blogilates.com.  The chick on here is so cute gets you movin' w/her videos and she is mad STACKED (yep, I said that).  She's a clean eater (which I'm on the verge of moving into), she has an awesome blog, she's so inspiring, designs Gorgeous gym/yoga bags (gotta get me one!), she cooks and gives you the recipes of easy things that I think even I can manage.  (oh yeah, and Maribel has a girl crush on her, lol).  She's amazing!  Did I say that already??
Anyways, so after recovering my hangover, I was finally able to get out of bed on Saturday and I immediately got on the web, turned on her website, pulled up some videos and wound up doing 6 videos to equal an hour of workouts.  Needless to say, she kicked my ASS!!!  During the videos you find yourself screaming @ the computer "Are you fucking kidding me!!!"  But, she just has a way to keep you doing it.  I I did like 25 burpees on Saturday doing these vids.  BURPEES!!!!  Then still managed to get in my plankaday.  (Crap!  I still need to do that tonight!)  I try to get in my 1 minute plank every day.  Priorities people!!!

Sunday I woke up sooooo sooooorrreeee from the vids yesterday, BUT (big BUT) my hip wasn't hurting and it hasn't hurt in a few days.  I was going to wait until Tuesday to run again, but today I just felt like I couldn't wait.  Maybe not the smartest decision I've made in a day or so, but I did it.  I went for a run and ended up going out for over 3 miles.  I had a decent pace and felt really good.  My hip didn't hurt and things have been good so far.  My legs and glutes are still sore from all the lunges and squats on Saturday, but that's a good hurt and I definitely know the difference.  I'm gonna rest on Monday and do my workout vids tomorrow and I plan on going after it again on Tuesday morning!  I have a physical therapy appointment on Friday so I'm hoping that's gonna help some things too.

All I wanna do is keep running and get to this damn November 4th!  I enjoy running but these things are making it really hard to keep going.  This is what I want to do and I want to feel good about it.  But, I'm going to keep going because that's what I do.  I do what I want to do, I'm all I've got!!  Cassey Ho says Train Insane or Stay the Same.  I'm a believer.  Striving to be my best no matter what and push past these limits.

I hope you have a blessed week!  Keep moving to your goals and pushin' it.
What are some of your goals for the year and what are you doing to get there?  Have you accomplished any or all of them for the year?

xoxoxo
KC

Not Just About Running Anymore

 Oh My!  I don't even know where to begin to tell you about this week!  This journey is definitely a roller coaster ride.  It's only week 5 of this 16 week training and I've had to miss 2 long runs.  Week 2, I hurt my foot going too fast and this week my left hip has finally decided to tighten up and tell me to take it easy.  How can I take it easy when I've got 26 freakin' miles to run in 11 weeks.  I've said from the beginning I just want to make it to the start line injury free.  I have to tell you, I'm nervous.  I'm emotionally torn between resting or pushing it just a little further.  

I'M A BALLS TO THE WALL KINDA GIRL.  I'M THAT GIRL!

I get excited and pumped about something and I'm ready to do it and do it now.  

I keep running through my head everything I do to prevent these injuries.  I've explained all the stretching I do and I've even added more to my repertoire.  I don't skip on stretching.  I don't rush through it. I do it before I run, after I run, @ night, I do yoga, I've just bought resistant bands to strengthen my hips, I do that dreaded foam roller (and I've even gotten better @ it).  I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO!!!  That's where I was on Friday.  That was my thinking.  That was my dilemma.  And, on Friday night I had to make a decision about Saturday.  I HAD to tell myself NO!  YOU CANNOT DO THAT 16 MILES TOMORROW!!!  ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND WOMAN!!!  I cried and I talked to my friends about it.  I tear up now just sittin' here typing about it.  How can this happen?  What am I doing wrong?  How can I fix it??  I was sooo looking forward to that 16 miles.  I really wanted to see how I would do, How I would handle it and how my body would react.  I even went to Modells on Friday and bought my fuel belt, I bought my gels, I bought new t-shirts, I bought recovery shakes.  I WAS READY!!!  By the end of the day on Friday I had to tell myself NO!  This was killing me!!

So, I decided not to let this ruin my weekend!  I slept in on Saturday, went to Brooklyn (by accident) and had an amazing lunch, found a new neighborhood, and drank some wine (I never drink wine).  For the last month I've been doing my long runs and just crashing afterwards until Sunday when I go to Yoga.  The weekend hasn't been too exciting in terms of getting outside my house and seeing the city.  

In the meantime, I decided there's something about my body that's not right, something MORE I need to do.  So I decided it's the other fitness aspect of this journey.  A new lifestyle, a realization that I can't just run and not do anything else.  I have a blog I follow, it's called BurningBabiFat.com (LOOK IT UP, IT'S AMAZING).  One of her posts this week was STRONG IS THE NEW SKINNY (http://www.burningbabifat.com/2012/08/strong-is-new-skinny-what-drives-you.html?m=0).  When I read this post I had to really think about it and it really hit home.  I have to make myself strong for this marathon.  I need to work on my core, work on building more muscle.  I like to think my legs are strong, but my upper body could definitely use some work.  So, above the hips I go.  I started talking to my friend Maribel.  She's totally into nutrition and fitness.  In fact, check out her blog @ http://food4thoughtnyc.tumblr.com/.  She's amazing and has tons of stuff to share.  Honestly, I don't know what I would do w/out her @ this point.  She listens to me complain, cry, and wonder what the hell is going on w/me right now.  We were talking and she's lost a ton of weight and has gotten really healthy in the last few years.  She likes to do @ home DVD's and we started talking about the Jillian Michaels circuit training dvd's.  So, low and behold, I downloaded from Amazon today and did my first workout @ home to the DVD.  Ms Michaels had me going for 20 mins straight.  I enjoyed it and got my sweat on.  She says to do it every day and you'll lose weight and get fit in I don't know, like 30 days?  I'm not going to put a time limit on it.  I'm just going to work hard and see where it takes me.  I'm definitely not going to stop running.  I have tons of work to do there too.  I'm going to do this Jillian Michaels thing in addition to the running & yoga.  This is how it has to be for the next few months until the marathon.  I have to focus and get strong in these days to come and make sure I can do this.  I have to turn it into my new lifestyle if I want to get better.  

All that being said, I had a pretty good week running my short runs and getting motivated to try something new and begin to get disciplined.  Since I've started this blog, I've also started twitter.  You can follow me @  Start2Finish12.  I've begun to follow all these runners, tons of women who run, who inspire, who eat healthy, who are positive, and encouraging.  I'm telling you it's a whole new world for me.  These women are awesome.  They blog and tell you about their journey, post pictures, they go to seminars, they do so many things that it's just all so motivating.  This is what has kept me going this weekend.  Knowing that I'm not the only one w/these problems and knowing this isn't the end of this journey.  I know now I can do this.  There are women who do so many inspiring things that have kids and a family.  I don't have that so I have no excuses.  If they can take care of families and keep in shape, run marathons, run 1/2 marathons, do triathalons, I have to be able to do this w/just me.  So, I'm ready.  Let's get going.  I've learned about #plankaday.  I've been doing 1 min plankadays for the past 5 days.  This is just one little thing that can help build up my core to make me just a little stronger.  I wanna be STRONG!  Not just skinny.  I wanna be healthy.  Not just skinny.  I wanna be toned and lean.  I'm on a mission.  

It's more NOW than just a marathon!  

What is it that inspires you?  What motivates you and how far will you go to be the best you can be?  How far will you go to reach a goal?

KC

xoxoxoxoxxoxoxxoxox

"I've got to feel Alive!...Even if it kills me." 16miles in 3hrs 34mins!

    "Once again it's on".. to quote the well known poet IceCube...

Well runners...another week has passed, and Im here gettin my blog post in just like I got  my miles in this week!! Im feeling really good..now, that its 9 hrs after my longest run thus far!! It was pretty tough!! but more on that in a min.

     So this week I changed up my music selection that I run to. Im a big fan of all types of music not just HipHop and I wanted a totally different vibe to get me prepared for the run at the end of the week. So I chose the group Incubus a 90s post/grung/alternative band. "Warning" from their 'Morning View' CD is what I started my run with. I find that I tend to like songs that build up, ya know start off slow then build to a driving tempo to get my first few miles at a good pace. This song is PERFECT! The way it starts so cool and calm and at 39 sec mark the guitar comes in picking up the pace..and the lead singer belts out "...dont ever let Llife pass you by." And thats when the song really gets goin!! Throughout the song it goes from uptempo to break downs. The last few minutes of the song is pure energy!!! "Wish you were here" is another song with the same structure, as is "diamonds and coal". Great running songs.  "anna molly" and "pardon me" are very heavy on the "grunge-guitar" so if you dont mind that, they are great songs to get your pace up. "nice to know you" is grungy but it has a great breakdown in the middle. "Drive" and "the Warmth" are great mid tempo songs to run to when you want to slow your pace a bit. So my weekly runs were really good and I felt refreshed running with a new music selection and I was ready for my loong 16mi run on sat.  Or so I thought...

   So I got my 16mi in!! YAY ME!!..Its kind of a BIG deal!! It went pretty good, as well as a 3 hr 34min and 18 sec run could go. ..SCHEWWW!!!   I WAS TIRED!! I felt good and inspired from completeting the run but still couldnt ignore the fatigue and pain i felt in my legs. (but a GOOD pain). I've noticed its usually around the 10 mile mark is my threshold. Thats where my body seems to give out. When we ran the Staten Island half  marathon (13.1 mi) i ran the whole way. I guess it was the excitement and adrenaline. But when Im running to train I have to stop and walk after 10 miles. My legs and feet feel so heavy that i have to slow my "slow pace", down even slower. I alternate between walking and jogging. By mile 12 its mostly walking & getting my heart rate down & catching my breath a little. The whole time Im thinking .. "this 26.2 is gonna be a booger" lol!! mMile 12 1/2  to 13 Im jogging again, legs heavy, hurting, burning & heavy as lead! (can someone remind me why Im doing this again) Rings in my head...But I push on,  finding strength in the fact that there are only 3 miles to go!!! So I dig in and jog to 14. I slow down at 15 to catch my breath but keep it moving w/ a steady fast walk. But my feet at this point are beginning to get sore..but I push on, because now I have ONE MORE MILE!! THANK YOU BIG-BABY JESUS!!!!

   So since Im here writing today that means I survived..I bet you weren't quite sure there for a min right? So of course I went to get my legs massaged with warm oils and hot stones and my feet soaked then wrapped in warm towels at my local spa....I left there with my feet /legs feeling rejuvenated!!

 The kicker about the long brutal run, is that I cant wait to do it again and push my body even further..Its freakin Crazy how that works!!

   I slept in this morning but have a 3mi this evening to finish off my 30mi for the week. Welcoming Monday because Monday=Restday. Who knew running would give me a reason to like Mondays..

 Well thats it for this week sports fans. Stay tuned next week for new music plus I'll be breaking in my new shoes next week!! They will most likely be the ones that I will wear in the Marathon. So Im getting excited, but based on my run last week...I still have a lot of training to do! But Im ready!! #LetsGo!!

Lloyd out, till next blog...
.Llove-Llife.

I'm Definitely in My Zone

Just to piggy back on Big LL's post, if you're keeping up, Jay & Kanye have definitely been motivators on my early morning runs and my long runs on Saturdays.  I've been running to Watch the Throne for Months now.  Sometimes it's all that'll get me going.  I love how the whole CD starts and then just pushes me all the way to the end.  I'll say, I'm Definitely in My ZonE!!!!

I'm feeling so good!  Feet are good, legs are good, heart is keeping up and we're workin' hard!  5am runs are on track and I'm right on schedule!  I have to tell you, this is all I'm doing right now.  It's all I think about, it's all I wanna do when I get off work and it's all I've been looking forward to on my weekend.  However, my buddy Maribel is on her way back from London and I'm sure we'll have some catch up time comin' our way.  I'm so excited.  We have a booze cruise coming up, and we wanna get out of the city for a weekend as well.  I digress.

I've been trying to work in some yoga and gym time during the week, but it's really hard.  I don't get home til after 9p and sometimes after 10p if I do yoga.  Class doesn't start til 730p.  It puts me on a late schedule and I come home eat something real quick and hit the sheets for my early morning.  I'm usually out of bed by 430 to get some protein and food in before I hit the road.  I eat once before my run and eat again before I head out the door for work.  I'm ALWAYS hungry!!!  ALWAYS!!!!!!!!  I can't say I have the best eating habits right now either.  Diana and I were talking the other day and I feel like all this running just gives me permission to not eat as well.  The guy @ the ferry on Wednesday looked @ me like I had 10 heads when I told him I wanted 2 glazed donuts.  I looked back @ him and said YES, 2 PLEASE!!  You have no idea.  I'm starting to be a mean chicken spaghetti maker (w/whole wheat pasta), but I just can't get that damn sauce to noodle ratio down.  I always have way too many noodles for the sauce.

Anywhoooooooo.  My runs went really well this week.  Oh yeah, I joined Twitter...FML!  So, follow me.  I think you can find me under Kyndra Clawson or Start2Finish12.  I'm not really sure which one. It's all so confusing.  Do you really have to type all those @ signs & #'s all the time? Like, I don't get it.  But whatever, I assume I'll get it down pat in no time.  It hasn't even been 24 hours yet.  I've only tweeted once so far. (I always wanna call it "twatting", btw).  LOL.

Okay, back to running...We had an "easier" week this week.  Only 24 miles total which included Tues 3M, Wed 4M, and Thurs 4M.  Diana and I couldn't figure out if Thurs was 3 or 4 miles when we got to Nike Town, but LL set us straight on that one.  I struggled through Central Park on Thursday.  I need to run out there more often.  Those hills are a BITCH!!!  But, we conquered through the steaming humidity and by the time I got home I was STARVING!!!  No surprise there.

Friday was rest night and so I did. 

I was up on Saturday and on the Ferry by 7a, and on the road by about 745.  NYC for 3 weeks has had summerstreetsNYC where they close Park Ave from BK Bridge for about 7 miles up to 72nd street and you can enter CP.  They have tons of FREE activities for people to partake in such as bike riding, ziplining, rock climbing, art, and glorious views of Grand Central and running through that tunnel.

So, my plan was to run up Broadway to BK bridge and do the ZipLining.

Dude, it started @ 7a, and I was there by 8a and they were already full for the day!! (That's NY for ya!  You snooze you loooooze)  I would've loved to do that before I got really into my run, but I sucked it up and kept going and started my way up Park Ave.  This was an AWESOME run!!  I loved it. It went by so quickly.  There were so many people out taking advantage of all the free stuff going on and the goodies being handed out.  It was so cool to see all the runners running up and down Park Ave to get their runs in for the day.  I took a few pics along the way and my Pace ended up being better on this 10 mile run that it has in a while.  I couldn't believe it!  The whole time I was thinking my app had to be wrong, but I'm just goin w/it and saying it was right.  I ended in 1 hour 43 mins with a 10.20 pace.  WHATWHAT!!!   I ended up in Central Park feelin' good, got my stretch on and relaxed by a little pond for a while.   Little duckies came by to congratulate me on a job well done.  Took my shoes off and enjoyed the beautiful day for a while.  Afterwards, I got back on the subway and headed back home where I chowed, napped, painted a little bit, watched TV and chilled for the rest of the day.  For some, it might not have been too eventful, but my cup runneth over right now.  I'm feeling good and feeling positive.

I was thinking and telling LL the other day that I can't believe we just might do this.  You mean, I'm gonna follow this schedule every day for the next 3 months until the marathon!?!?!?  I'm pretty hyped right now.  I gotta stay positive, stay healthy, and motivated.  This week's gonna be a tough one.  I've got 32 miles ahead of me.  That means 6 miles on Tuesday and 16 MILES on Saturday.  I'm gonna hit up the NYC City summerstreets again and gonna get me some of that free stuff this time.  I missed out on Saturday b/c I was starving and all I could think about was getting home and eating.  :). Ahhh...the life of a runner.  j/k.

I got in some yoga today to stretch out my old lady muscles and now I'm ready.  I've got some things to do this evening which include Eating, bubetube and getting ready for the week.  Oh yeah and washing my stinky ass running clothes.  Sometimes I'm afraid I'm gonna get kicked off the train due to my stench, but I guess it's not as bad as others.

I'll catch ya on the FLIP SIDE!!!!

P.S. Make sure you check out Bigdaddy's blog from yesterday. He's got some good stuff in there!!! I posted it on fb and TWITTER!

P.P.S....Share my blog on your page. I'd love to get some perspectives from other people w/fitness goals, how they handle everything and what they do to stay inspired. Just hit the Share this page to FB or TWITTER on the right hand side.  Let's get this partay STARTED!!!!

KC
xoxoxo

One Race...OneLlove. "3 for the 26.2!"

   So... a 30 something, fearless white girl who moves from Okc to Nyc, because she could.  A 20 something spunky Columbian latina, code name Dirty Diana who loves Ludacris and dancing at wedding receptions and a 40 something black guy from oklahoma who loves HipHop decide to run the NY Marathon...

  "Whats the punchline?" you may ask...because I know it sounds like the beginning of some off color joke...But alas there is no punchline. Its the result of 3 friends from very different walks of life unexpectantly coming to the same point at the same time in their lives, Week 4 of 16 week marathon training!! And on Nov, 4 in 12 short weeks they will be standing at the starting line (and then hard part...) 5 hrs...5 boroughs later at the finish line of New York Marathon!! Go Hard or Go Home right?

So let me start of by thanking my best friend Kyndra for letting me guest blog for her and adding some testosterone to her page. If you havent guessed it yet...I'm the black guy. Lol!..Heres a brief synopsis of me and my journey to SMASH 26.2 mi.thru the streets of NYC!!!

My name is Lloyd and my story is one of Llife. Some of the lowest lows and some of the highest highs....Sort of like when running long distances. Running has got me thru some really tough times since I started a yr and a half ago. I wont bore you with the lows I'll just dazzel you with the highs.. because theres been far more of those! :-)

Febuary 6th 2011!! my first race!! Yes thats SNOW!!! Crazy right? It was a 4 mi race through Central park. Yeah it was pretty cold, but by the end I was warm for sure. I ran an 11min pace exactly, 44.mins. I was 4940 out of 5813..that means I beat 873 New Yorkers!!  2725 out of 3006 males, so I left 281 men in my dust!! (Stats provided by the good folks at New York Road Runners)

   That's who I qualified through. I had to run 9 races and volunteer. Races ranged between 4mi and 9.3 (15k), to my longest the Staten Island Half Marathon.

    13.1 mi ran in 2hrs and 24min and 46sec! MAJOR!!!!  It was an Amazing feeling needless to say I was hooked! I was 4493 out of 5304, 811  runners smoked!!! Okay im done bragging..cause I got dusted too by 4492! doesnt quite have the same ring to it does it? Lol..

   I've been lucky to not have had any major injuries, thank God. Altho I do have my occasional ache and pain, I try to just take it easy and run at a low impact pace. My last race in New York was the Scotland 6 mi run. Finished in 57mi.41sec.

   It was a really fun race, people had their face painted like Mel Gibson in Braveheart! I mean face fully painted one side white, the other blue!  Crazy!

   I left New York and returned home to Oklahoma and have been training daily. getting up at 5am to beat the heat.

Which is very hard to do, but I have a goal to accomplish so theres no choice. Plus I really love running...and Im a lover of music so Its nice to find different songs to run to. To me music has a different effect on me when Im running, Its like its my own little soundtrack to my journey. I ran to a Kanye and Jay "Watch the Throne" mix today for my 10 mi run...and it was so perfectly fitting.

   I started w/ "lift off"!! Man, its like pure energy!!! The horns and Beyonce goin off! It really set the the tone for a good pace.

   "No church in the wild" kept me amped and at mile 3 when "N----s in Paris" came on I was warmed up and ready to pick up the pace. Then it would switch from a slower tempo track to a faster uptempo track. Around mile 5 "Murder to excellence" comes on...So appropriate, I'm starting to labor a little but the beat is Crazy and the drums get me pumped! Jay and Yay are goin off on the rhymes the beat breaks down to bongos and the the drums come back in at just the right time and Im in my Zone! Energy!! I feel the endorphins kick in and I feel like a machine...until the song fades...I'm reminded that I am not and slow my pace as a slower track comes on. Around mile 7 I go straight to H.A.M (hard as a mutha) to get that last push of sonic energy from my headphones. I ended mi 9 to 10 with track 15 "the joy" a nice slow Curtis Mayfield / Pete Rock sample. A slow soulful track, cause my pace at this time was slow and soulful..lol  I finished at a 11min pace, not too bad.

   Well, I could go on but I'll stop there. 3 mi tomorrow will make a total of 24mi this week. Next sat 16mi!! The saga continues...

Thanks for taking the time to be a part of my journey. See you at the finish line.

.Llove-Llife.

I'm no Olympian, but......I got 30 MILES in this week!!!

So, the week started off a little iffy on Monday.  I invested in my new amazing Brooks Glacier 10's last Sunday and I was determined to break to those babies in.  I didn't know if I should or not considering my week off I had due to the soreness on the side of my footsie.  So, I went to the gym and was only going to do the bicycle but DAMN they were all full.  I moved on to the eliptical and that just wasn't doing it for me.  Still trying not to get on the freakin' treadmill, I started to lift some weights.  I did arms, legs, and abs, and the treadmill was just calling my Name..KYNDRAAAAAA COME OVER HERE!!  TAKE THOSE NEW PINK EXPENSIVE SHOES OF YOURS ON A RIIIIIDDDDE!!!!  I could NOT resist the temptation.  I got on and was feelin pretty effing good.  I told myself only to do 2 miles @ only a speed of 5.  And..that's what I did.  It was so slowwww and felt like the longest 2 miles EVER!!!  But, that's all I did and I still felt amazing after.

I decided on Tuesday morning to get up and do what was on my marathon schedule and did the 3 miles.  I did it and did it very slowwwwww.  Trying to keep my pace barely above 12 mins.  That's kind of a hard task.  But, I'm now using the Map My Run App because I don't have Nike shoes anymore to use my sport band.  It's a great app.  I started using my headphones and listening to music again on my runs because the app has a little voice that comes on and tells you your progress throughout the run.  It's really cool and allows you to keep track of your pace.  Actually, it's heaven sent to me because it's keeping me in check w/my pace and not allowing me to act like an Olympian and run any faster than I should be.  Again, trying to keep the injuries close to 0 going forward and this is going to help.

Wednesday morning came around and I decided to rest.  It was a day for 5 miles.  Decided again to go to the gym.  I lifted and ran 3 miles on the treadmill and counted my 2 miles from Monday towards my 5 for that day and BAM I was caught up in miles for the Week!!  So, when Thursday finally got here I went on my morning run for 3 miles and was feeling good so far this week.  I took advantage of the rest for the evening and was feeling even better

After much indecisiveness and going back and forth in my head I decided on a little happy hour to let loose.  Went for drinks with Q & Patricia and we had dinner @ this amazing burger place in Midtown called RARE.  Burger & sweet potato fries were delish.  Stuck to just a couple drinks and a glass of wine @ dinner, as promised, and headed home early so I could get some rest and get up the next day for the HUGE LOOOONGGG run on Saturday morning.

Whew!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And Long Run it was!!!  It was 14 freakin miles!!!.  Considering my last long run was 2 Saturdays ago and it was only 10 miles I was quite nervous and didn't know what to expect out of my body and my mind.  I missed the 12 mile long run from the Saturday before due to my foot issue.
I wanted to miss the heat, so I was on the road by 745a on Saturday morning.  Since it was such a long run I needed a change in my usual scenery and opted for the East side of Manhattan.  There's a beautiful view of the East river and the bridges.  Not to mention being so inspired by all the runners out getting their long runs in for the day too.  There was so many people out that day and I was so glad I showed up to be a part of it.  This run took me on an adventure and I had no idea I was going to go so FAR UP!!  At one point during the run I decided I wanted to run in Central Park so I started making my way west over to the park and wound up entering @ 59th & 5th.  You guys!!  That is so crazy!!  I ran all the way from the Staten Island Ferry which is as Far South as you can go in Manhattan!!  That's a LONG freaking way!  The whole time I just kept saying I can't believe I've gone this far...I can't believe it.  Then!!!  I ran through the park up and around the reservoir.  OMG!!  This was CRAZY and I still had like 7 or 8 miles to go!!!!!!  Finally finished where I began in the park after running a street repeatedly the last 1.5 miles to get to the 14!   I struggled, I walked, I drank water and THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE!!!!  Right there in the park trying to get to this 14 MILES!  Around 12 miles, I just kept telling myself to keep going, I'm almost there, I can do this!
After my run I made sure I walked the recommended 10 mins after my run to get the blood flowing again thru my body.  After 14 miles my legs felt like cement.  I stretched twice as long as usual to make sure my legs were not going to tighten up.  I did some push ups (well, kinda), I do the push ups on the bench.  I hate push ups, so I like to modify.  lol.  I did some crunches just to keep my body moving.  Then I stretched again and drank lots of gatorade to recover.  I didn't really know what to think about myself.  I was kind of scared of myself that I actually did it and wondered if I could do it again!
I met this older man after I stretched and he asked me what I was training for.  We ended up chatting it up for a while and come to find out he's such an inspiration.  He's 61 years old and has ran 9 NYC marathons, beginning in 1998 and has done 5 others outside of the county and w/in the country.  His goal is to get to 20!!!  He's gone through injuries and ups & downs through his journey but man he's a freakin' soldier!  That's one thing about running is you always meet these people that have done things you think are impossible.  I'm always finding someone who has done amazing things.  People love talking about running and telling you their story.  I want to have THOSE stories to tell and be an inspiration to somebody also.
I picked up Runners World magazine this week and it's an amazing issue.  Here's one of the quotes from the magazine that relates to people who run (it's kind of funny and so so true).  "We runners talk about having fun, but I don't think anybody believes us.  We talk about discipline and endurance, we take care, we exercise caution, we watch our diets and monitor our pace.  We are ascetics who talk unconvincingly of the bracing enjoyment of self abuse."  
Aside from this quote in the issue, there are some really great stories about regular people who run and stories about Olympians who run Marathons in crazy RECORD times and just keep doing it.   I haven't even ran my first marathon yet and I'm all of a sudden wanting to run more.  I want to run SF Women's Marathon, the Las Vegas Rock n Roll Marathon (@ night on the strip), Boston, and Philly.  Could just be a phase.  I'll keep you updated on that after NYC.  This could change before then!  You never know!

So, now that I've rambled and probably lost you about 4 paragraphs ago.  I just want to tell you about my last run for the week, if you're still reading.  I got up and ran another 5 miles this morning.  I started to feel some tightening in my hip last night and HAD to go to yoga this morning.  I know I'm not injured but just need to stretch it out.  I went to the 90 minute class and felt amazing afterwards.  My day was a sweaty/stinky mess, but after this weekend I feel accomplished, pretty amazing, and pumped for this week!  I'm ready for my morning runs and gym nights this week!  Let's get it going!  Get through the work day and get down to business.

I'm starting to feel pretty good about this and still taking it easy.  I'm not trying to beat any records, I'm just trying to get to the Start line.  This is for me and I just want to complete it!  I feel like I can do anything @ this point.  I just need to stay healthy, uninjured and motivated.

Thanks for reading this one!  I had a lot to say today.  I hope I motivate and inspire, as all of you out there doing things for yourselves and your families inspire me!  I see so many people on fb back home and here in New York that are doing so many great things to get healthy.  Keep it up and never let anybody say you can't get there.  We can do it and feel good about it!  We are fabulous!!!  xoxoxo

P.S.  I'm going to have a guest blog this week!  One my motivators, inspirations, and the reason I'm even in NYC...He once told me I had nothing to lose and still continues to this day to motivate me and get me through some really tough times.  I llove him to deffffff....

Pease and I'm out!!

BitchSlowtheEFFdOWN!

Alright-y then!  I think the title says it all for me this week.  So, I'm in rest mode and resting the foot.  Right now and going forward slowing down is my MANTRA!  Somebody last week was telling me I need to slow down in all aspects of my life.  You know who you are!!  I cook chicken like I'm running a race (too fast = too hard), I walk down the street like I'm always in a hurry, and apparently I run too fast & too hard.  This has given me a sore foot and NOW I can't run.  wah wah.   There's a pattern I'm noticing here.  

If you don't know, I am Soooo Bummed about this.  It's all I think about and all I want to do is make it better and "fix" it.  There's no quick fix here.  It's just resting and treating my body well.  

So, I've had trouble w/my feet since I starting doing my training for my first half last year.  My heels and Achilles were really sore after that run.  I have extremely high arches and I underpronate when running.  Without the proper shoes (neutral), I have no cushion/support on the inside of my foot and my foot tends to turn to the outside.  Which is exactly where I'm hurting right now.  The bone that runs on the outside of the foot from the little toe to my ankle.  So, I've been icing for 2 nights, elevating it when I sleep, and today started taking aleve for anti inflammatory.  Yep, this is a freakin' BLAST!  I saw a foot dr today, she didn't tell me anything I didn't already know except not to use the new foam roller I bought yesterday to help stretch out the tendons.  I read online that would help, but she said STOP!  So, now I'll just use it for my hips.  

I'm no Spring Chicken, People and my Body is telling me so!  

I have made it a habit for the last 6 mos to stretch my feet/legs every morning when I get up, before and after my run as well as before I go to bed.  I stretch out my calves to stretch out the muscles near the ankle and down my heel.  I know, it's a lot, but it's what keeps me moving.  I've recently started to do 6 hip stretches every night before bed as well so I don't hurt my hip flexors and stay strong.  

Running the marathon this year has turned into a lot of hard work, paying attention to my body, and making sure I stay healthy.  I love running and I've missed being able to do it the last 2 days, but what I'm putting my body through is a whole other story.  I'm committed to this and if I just start to pay attention, slow down, and    be patient w/myself/body I will make it to the starting line.  I have got to slow down!!!!  

I've taken on an expensive sport.  From the clothes, shoes, prep, food, morning runs and everything I'm doing this year, I will make it there!  It's been a tough couple of days having to grasp this lapse in training I'm going through for the next week or 2, but w/the support of my friends, positive attitude and keeping my head up I'll be ready to get back on the road healthy and ready to go.  It's a real mental challenge right now.

I keep telling myself this is just a minor set back and I still have 15 weeks to go.  I went for a 1 hour foot massage tonight and I can feel the difference already.  I'm sitting w/ice on now, I'll wrap it for the night, elevate and continue w/this regiment until I'm ready to get back out there.  

Oh, and I'm getting new shoes this weekend. I've got almost 300 miles on these and it's recommended to change out every 300-400 miles.  I'm Done with the Nikes and going to try another shoe this time.  Thinking Brooks.  But, this means I can't use my Nike Sport Band so looking into other alternatives.  But, Nike's website is amazing and I'm not looking forward to giving that up.  Thinking about investing in the Nike GPS watch I've been wanting FOREVER.  

So, if you're reading this and you run, I hope you get something out of it.  You can push your body, but you also have to pay attention to it.  I'm learning the hard way.  I thought I had learned before and started all my stretching routines, but I cannot push myself too fast.  I will get there no matter what.  I need to not worry about my time and just focus on finishing.  IT'S A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT!!!!  And, I was never good @ sprinting anyways!!!  

So, that's my week in a nutshell.  I'm planning on the gym tomorrow to get some weights in and light cycling to keep my cardio up.  I'm learning every day from this experience and facing the facts that I'm not as young as I used to be.  

I'm an athlete.  Always have been and there's something in me that makes me want to push myself.  I just need to be smart about it. 

Keep it movin' people and stay strong!!   

kc. 

I Run Marathons! Let's GO!!!!

Well, week one of 16 is Complete!!  Every run of this week I tried thinking of things I want to talk about when I write tonight.  So many things popped up in my mind, after all I ran 25 miles this week!  So tonight after my 3 miles I decided to write about how running has made me feel this week. MOTIVATION!!!

In the last couple of months I've gone through some life changes and I've basically been on an emotional roller coaster.  The week before I started my training was one of the toughest I've had in a long time.  So, I'm glad to say this training couldn't have began (begun?) at a better time.  The endorphins and good vibrations from running this week have put me back into a better state of mind.  I'm proud to say that I have completed week one of the 16 weeks.  I feel good about my accomplishments this week and I'm working towards a goal.  I came to this city to do something different than anyone else, to follow my dreams, and work hard.  It's been no cake walk, but like they say if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.  I've struggled, cried, and done things I never thought I could do.  I'm on my way to one one of those things again with this marathon.  It will be another huge accomplishment in my life and I know I'm pushing my mind and my body to the limit.

The week started on Monday night when I wrote my first blog to journal about this journey.  I mentally prepared for my week and I've had my schedule on my wall since January when Diana first sent it to me.  I was pumped and ready to go.  I set my alarm for Tuesday morning @ 4:15 and I was heading into my first morning workout EVER.  There was no hesitation that morning when I got out of bed.  I knew it was for real when I snapped on my pants and tied up my laces.  I was ready to go!!  Day 1 & 2 were both morning runs @ 4 miles each and I was on the road @ 5am both mornings before the sun was completely up.  Let me tell you, I felt so good after these runs.  My head felt better, my day was better, and my emotions were in check.

Diana and I decided to run on Thursday night @ Nike Town.  They've also got their own 16 wk marathon training, but we've opted to keep to our schedule to a Tee and we ran our 4 miles on Thursday.  I was so impressed w/my run and that I knocked off almost a minute from my pace (not quite, but close).  I couldn't believe it either.  My pace usually hovers between 10.38 & 10.45.  I finished my Thursday run in Central Park with a pace under 10 mins @ 9.53.  CP has mad hills, so seeing this time on my watch I felt so accomplished.

Friday was rest day and rest I did.  I was in bed early knowing that I had to get up early on Saturday morning and do my long Run.  The long run on Saturday morning was 10 miles.  Yep, 10!!  Woke up @ 615 and was out the door by 7a and on my way.  I went the opposite direction of my usual path and fell into Staten Island's Snug Harbor Culture Center.  It's a beautiful park and even more beautiful on a Saturday morning run.  It was so relaxing with waterfalls and a bridal path that made me feel even better about the 10 miles I was conquering for the day.  I felt pretty good through most of the run, but when I hit 7m I started to struggle, legs started vibrating, and my ass started to drag.  I had pumps through the rest of 3 miles, but when you get to the end of 10 miles 3 miles feels like so long ago.  I felt pretty good after this run, but man I felt it.  I knew when I got home I could NOT sit down for the rest of the day and let my legs lock up and get sore.  So, I headed into Manhattan to shop for the day with Maribel and let her drag my ass anywhere she wanted to go just so I could keep it moving after that run.  I ended the day with some sliders and a few beers with my FAVE. All in all, I had a fantastic week of running, work, and motivation.

So, here's my week in a recap
Tuesday 4.2 Miles / Total Time 45.41 / Pace 10.45
Wednesday 4.0 Miles / Total Time 43.40 / Pace 10.54
Thursday 4.9 Miles / Total Time 48.34 / Pace 9.53
Friday Rest
Saturday 10 Miles Total Time 1.53.46 / Pace 11.16
Sunday 3 Miles Total Time 31.05 / 9.59

Speaking of motivation, if you're into reading for the evening, here's a great blog I found this week that speaks to inspiration, taking risks, stepping up, stop talking about it, and doing it.  I recommended it to one of the most important people in my life this week and recommend it for you to read and to get you going for the week!.  http://www.positivelypositive.com/2012/07/18/step-up-and-shine/

 It’s time to show up for your dreams and give absolutely everything you’ve got!!!

Some P. Diddy words of Wisom..  LOCK IN!  LET'S GO! I RUN MARATHONS! LET'S GO!!!!!!! 

Onto Week 2.  Rest Day is Monday and I'm already ready for my morning run on Tuesday.  This week will be 28 miles total  HERE WE GO!!!!!

Keep it movin' people!  Follow those Dreams and push yourself to the TOP!!!!

xoxo

kc