I Predict 1:59:59

All registered for my first post-partum half-marathon. It would only be suitable for the half-marathon - Hippie Chick Half-Marathon - to take place on Mother's Day weekend of 2014 given I had to stop running after my second pregnancy put a halt to all things running.

Here's what I'm going to do. I am putting it all on the line and predicting a finish time of 1:59:59. Am I feeling confident like Plaxico Burress after he predicted the New York Giants would beat the 18-0 New England Patriots with a score of 23-17 for Super Bowl XLII? Much like Tom Brady scoffed the idea his perfect season team would lose to the 12 point underdogs, I know those 13.1 miles are scoffing at my predicted time considering my record. But like Plaxico Buress, I have to believe in myself in order to attain the goal. Am I terrified if it doesn't happen? Not one bit. Because if it doesn't happen, I've lost nothing I've never had to begin with.

I've come to recognize I've played it safe most of my life for fear of failing, or not being good at a task the first time I try it, or believing my self-worth is measured by my physical (or lack thereof) abilities. Frankly, when I think about it, I've confined myself to a small little box from self-imposed sanctions. Since my training began, the only sanctions allowed are the sanctions for a strong and healthy body:

1) Eat Right
Eating right may look different for different folks. For me, eating right is about balance. I don't restrict sweets from my diet and I don't follow a particular diet or trend (this is largely due to my very stubborn grandma whom I adore and will post about her when I'm emotionally ready). I enjoy eating coconut ice cream with Pamela's Chocoolate Chunk gluten free cookies and or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I rarely drink, but may have a celebratory beer with my husband maybe once a month. I usually consume eggs for breakfast and like to add salsa (pico de gallo) for some flavor and enjoy orange juice early in the morning. I enjoy salads for lunch (I like to add tomatoes, cukes, garbanzos, carrots, with a lime and olive oil dressing), and will have lean protein (turkey, pork, chicken) with rice and veggies for dinner.

2)Rest When Needed
Maybe it has to do with the fact I'm no spring chicken, but rest has become really important for me. I'm not talking just about sleep, I'm talking about allowing my body to take a break. I feel energized and refreshed with seven hours of sleep. Anymore and I'm groggy, and less and I'm irritable. For training, I like to have two days out of the week where I'm not trying to log miles or work my muscles. I understand others like to train intensely every day, but I know this is what works for me and keeps me from being consumed by guilt when I don't work out or I want to work out but my family needs me.

3)Train Smart
I used to run, run, run, but in the last few half-marathons and marathons prior to my pregnancy, I was getting a lot of injuries around my ankles and feet. Now, I've recognized the importance of strength training to help me push through the last miles strong and injury free. Since incorporating strength training, my form has improved, and parts of my body that were subject to severe soreness during a long run are now stronger - back, quadriceps, shoulders.

I've got five solid months of training before my half, and here is what my schedule will look like:

Monday: Pilates + Run     Tuesday: Crossfit     *Wednesday: Pilates + Run     Thursday: Crossfit   Friday:Pilates + Run          Saturday: Long Run     Sunday: Off

*If my body is up for strength training, I will workout and consider it a bonus, if it's not, I will not feel guilty for not doing so as it was not intended to be a training day. I don't what the Hippie Chick Half-Marathon will bring, but I know what I'm bringing - belief that I can achieve my goal and beat Goliath.

What predictions do you have? Do you believe you have any self-imposed sanctions?

The cover that never was all because a team with confidence did not fear the Goliaths of Football.

Running Graces

In honor of Thanksgiving a week away, I thought of taking the time of listing five reasons on how running makes me a more grateful person.

Running is Democratic
Running is an activity that any individual can participate in. It does not discriminate based on sex, color, religion, or social status. Running can be exercised any time of day, during any season, and in any region of the country you find yourself in. Running is an expression of freedom. A freedom that many women in other parts of the world are not granted. Each time I lace up my shoes and run, I give thanks for the right to exercise my running right and the freedom to do so without being persecuted because of my gender.

Liberty Bell

Metaphor for Life
When I've found myself in times of difficulty, I've used the symbolism of crossing the finish line at my races to keep me going. Each aching mile, or hill, or arduous trail is conquered and surpassed in the belief that it is temporary, and that there is a finish line to traverse. It is a reminder to never quit no matter how tough it gets.

Healthy dose of Endorphins
"Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy." Whether studies prove or not if Runner's High is caused by endorphins, running triggers my psyche in a positive way and puts me in a pleasant and optimistic mood. It gives me energy to tackle a stressful project, patience to deal with super-slow-nine-year-olds-who-move-with-no-sense-of urgency-or-care-for-missing-the-bus-in the morning, and offers a natural and healthy way to combat the dark and gray fall & winter days of the Pacific Northwest. A positive attitude and disposition makes it easier to be grateful for all I have - especially my health.

Earned Success
Running reminds me that the outcome of my success is dependent upon on how much effort I've put into my training. The reward of finishing a race is the crowning moment of all the training miles earned through mental and physical sacrifice. Each time I cross the finish line, I look back on the journey I endured to get there, and it makes all the hard work that much sweeter.

Sian Welch and Wendy Ingraham at the 1997 Ironman Finish Line (The Crawl)

Genes In Jeans
Running has given me the ability to have a whole new sense of appreciation for my body. I look in the mirror and like what I see, but not because of superficial reasons, but because I've come to understand the mechanics of my body and appreciate how much it can do. It's made me conscious of how posture (guilty of slouching) and proper running form go hand in hand to make you a better runner, and how my legs can endure 26.2 miles of straight running. Running gives me self-confidence, and self-confidence keeps the cycle of running alive.

What are you thankful for?

Love Poem to my Daughter

I said that on the day my daughter stopped nursing, I'd drink a margarita to celebrate. It's been approximately one week and the occasion was not as celebratory as I envisioned. No margaritas or party hats. In fact it was rather anticlimactic and somewhat melancholy. Her nursing cessation made me realize her infancy stage was now but a memory, and that realization made me sad. Gone is the little girl who could barely hold her head up and keep her eyes from crossing. No longer was my body an instrument of nourishment. Her cries of hunger have been replaced with pointing and simple words of communication such as "agua" (water) and "cookie." So, in honor of her new found independence, I'd like to share a poem I wrote to my fourteen month old daughter (she turned fourteen months today).


Love Poem to My Daughter

For nine months I carried you in my womb
And during those nine months, I fell in love with you without you saying a word
Our first encounter was just before sunrise
And when your flesh was placed upon my flesh
It forged an indelible print on my heart that will follow me to the grave
My love for you transcends language, time, and rational
Your existence has defined my existence
And if my path of mortality is filled with failure and heartache
I will but consider myself privileged in knowing that I at least have the honor of calling you my daughter.
I love you

Keeping your Eye on the Prize

On August 28, 2013, I began my quest to run a Half Marathon in under two hours by Spring or Fall of 2014 after a 19 month running hiatus. I gave birth to my second daughter in September of 2012, and despite being physically active prior to getting pregnant, I gained a total of 47 pounds (I started at 130 lbs) and my knees, my back, and my ankles were unable to support the extra weight. It was very demoralizing for me because I had read so many posts about pregnant women being able to run up to their due date and thought I could do the same. Learning that I could not be in the same category as the aforementioned women was humbling, and I vowed to start running as soon as I was cleared (approximately six weeks after giving birth).

Six weeks after giving birth, my body was fighting an infection (mastitis) caused by improper latching during nursing. If you are not familiar with mastitis, it is when breast tissue gets inflamed and is extremely painful. I got chills and fever and spent a considerable amount of time not only trying to recover, but trying to keep up with my daughter's on demand feeding schedule (which was every two hours). I remember reading somewhere on the internet that a Victoria's Secret model (Adriana Lima) was going to be strutting her post-partum body on the catwalk 8 weeks after giving birth and wondered, "Are these models human?" The insecure human inside me coveted to do what she did, but the sleep-deprived mentally exhausted human in me prized a warm shower and eight hour sleep over lingerie and camera lights. Instead of fretting and setting up artificial deadlines about when I would start running, I decided to honor the tremendous amount of work my body underwent for nine months and let it give me the green light to start again.

I knew I was ready to start running again in August. My body craved it, my daughter was turning one, and the weather was perfect for running. I strapped my daughter in the jogging stroller and completed 3.3 miles in 39:13. Everything about that run was exhilarating and frustrating. I was elated to be moving again, but frustrated because I was starting from scratch. It took me three weeks to reach four miles, and another four weeks to complete a 10K.

After ten weeks of pushing forward, I finally reached the ten mile mark. I'm still far from my goal, but I know I've come a long way. I'm keeping my eyes on the prize and I'm going to cross the finish line one mile at a time.

I'm finally in the double digits

Enjoying the scenery on my ten mile run

Thankful for sunny skies and above freezing temperatures during my ten mile run