Half Marathon Update

Sunday I ran my first half marathon in San Diego with my mom (she actually ran the full) and two of my sisters!

This was for sure a day to remember!

Once we pulled up we took some pictures and let's just say my nerves started getting the best of me.  I wasn't really nervous until then.  After awhile of standing around, eating, going to the bathroom multiple times, I just started to get extremely excited and anxious.  We had to wait quite awhile before we even got to   line up to run.  The whole be there 90 minutes early is for the birds!

 This was a rather large marathon with over 25,000 participants between the half and full and about 60,000 spectators so it was crazy!

I was in Corral 5 to start and this is still how far we were from the Start line.

And this is the never ending people that were behind us.

Starting out was hard with that many people moving around.  It took awhile to get to where I could run my own pace and not be constantly cut off by someone.  I will never forget that feeling of starting and running amidst that many people.

I also started out with a 2:00 pace group but knew I wanted to be ahead of them because I wanted to finish under 2 hours.  I ran the first few miles with them then tried to run ahead a bit.  I never saw the next pace group which was 1:45 so knew I never got that much ahead.  My bladder stinks and I had to try and take a bathroom break twice which killed my time.  I couldn't believe there was a line at every porta potty stop.  It was torture standing there waiting while everyone was running by.  Next time I will really try to avoid that time waster!

I couldn't believe how many water stops there were and all the random people who had set up tables with food and snacks for you to grab.  I only got one cup of water and at one point grabbed a Gu pack  they were handing out which was perfect because I got it in right before a little section of hills.

I loved reading all the signs but honestly didn't take in much of the scenery.  I  was a little too focused on running and watching the people around, I had no idea where we even ran.

Some of my favorite signs were
 Mind over Matter
Pain is temporary- Internet stats and race times are forever
This is the worst parade ever!
 I'll be honest, this is not your last hill.

There were lots of creative ones but those are ones I remember!

I felt great until about mile 10 where my calves really started to hurt, and they did hurt the rest of the way.
When I saw that mile marker 12, I was ready to get to that finish line and really pushed that last one.  The last section I even tried to sprint.  Crossing that finish line was AWESOME!

Now that I've felt that feeling.  I understand.  I understand why runners push themselves so hard for these marathons.  I understand why they run over and over again.   I know why  they go through the training.  I've felt the runners high.  I've ran through pain and oddly enjoyed it!
It's fun.  It's unexplainable.
And I for sure plan to do it again, and really thinking about going for the full marathon!
It's in my blood now!

After the race we changed into clean clothes but kept those sweet medals on, haha I wasn't letting that go yet.  Since it was a Rock and Roll Marathon they had a concert after the race inside Petco Park and we were lucky enough to score some VIP tickets so we got to go to an inside area ( perfect because we were freezing) in the park and enjoy some awesome food for free!  Inside we snapped a picture that I just love, because we worked hard and earned those medals and had a great time doing it.  I've looked up to my mom for years for running and always wanted to be a part of that area of her life and we all got to at the same time.  She may of ran the full but we got to be a part of the day and accomplish goals of our own!  Unforgettable!

Speaking of goals, I wanted to finish in under 2 hours, which I did but was really hoping to beat my dad's time on one of his halves which was 1:56, and I got so close with a time of 1:57:28.  Those darn bathroom breaks ruined it!  That's okay though next time, I'm breaking that one!

My average mile pace was 8:58
I finished 3756 out of 17983 overall
My gender overall was 1305 out of 10988.

For my first half marathon and just starting running earlier this year, I'm proud of the results!

I've learned a lot through this experience and plan to continue running and figure out which race to do next!  

My First Tabata

I don't know about you but I keep hearing all these new workout and fitness terms and have had no clue what most of them are.  I started doing some research on the newer ones and most recently really started hearing about Tabata.  Since I am one of those weird people that really do enjoy working out I thought I would give a Tabata workout a try.  My husband is still out of town so after the boys have gone to bed the last few days it's been really quiet around here.

If you haven't heard of Tabata or have and aren't sure what it is, here is the jist.

Tabata is a type of HIIT training.  HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training.
I have fallen in love with HIIT training from doing Turbo Fire.  I never really got into all the other workouts in the problem but have done the HIT's a lot.  HIIT's are great because you burn not only a lot of calories during your workout but after as well.  Shorter workout, burn more calories, YES please!

What makes a HIIT a Tabata workout is that you do 20 seconds of intense workout with 10 seconds rest in a four minute round.

I found this awesome article on Fit Sugar and it even gives you a free printable workout, and multiple free Tabata workouts to do in your home without ANY equipment.  So the other night I simply decided to get up off the couch and try one.  The one I did was 10 minutes ( it was #2 on the list I have linked above).   I figured I have been running, I do lots of cardio,  I got this.

I'm not going to lie,  I feel like I'm semi-fit but this was challenging.  It was short but I was SWEATY and hard up for breath.  However I still loved it.  I love pushing myself and reaching new goals.  I'm definitely going to be doing these more often.   I think  I will do the same workout I did some more until I feel better about my quality of the moves then will after my race will move into some of the longer Tabata workouts by adding more rounds.

Have you tried Tabata?
If so what do you think Love or Hate?

If you are wanting to get into a workout regimen and are hard up for time, I highly suggest you try adding something like this into your day because it's quick, you can do as many rounds as you want, and they can be done anywhere.

The Week Before

I cannot believe I will be joining around 30,000 other runners next Sunday for the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon.  I've never been a runner but magically became one this spring.  I ran a few times in January, then started working on it from February on.  I can't believe I have worked up to 11 miles in the last 12 weeks and am about to break that by doing 13.1 on Sunday.

My emotions are everywhere.  I watched a marathon video this morning and cried.  Running is a challenge.
It's a mind game.  My mind always wants to quit before my body.
My first few miles are a challenge every time I start hitting the pavement.  I usually want to stop because starting those first few is hard.

 Then I usually find my groove around mile 3 or 4.  Each week I haven't given up and have met all of my goals thus far.

Each Wednesday I do my "long runs" and they have been increasing by 1 mile each week for awhile now.

Each week I felt like I was about to my max, but the next week I have made it one farther.

Next Sunday I will be running 2 miles farther than I ever have.

That makes me nervous but so excited to cross that finish line.  I know I can and will do it!

I know I'm about to feel a runner's high like I have never felt running in the midst of thousands of people and seeing the 60,000 spectators that come to watch.  

That moment is going to be emotional.  I'm also sad that when I cross that finish line my hubby won't be there to see it.  He is flying home from Honduras that day so I most likely won't even be able to talk to him until later in the day.  I already decided if I do another it will be closer to home so that  I can have someone there waiting for me.

I'm hoping I will not only have pictures to share afterwards but an awesome race time to share as well.  My last few runs my pace has been increasing so I'm hoping that's it's just a bad week and I can get it back down for the race.  I really want that time under 2 hours, but trying to tell myself 2:15 will be okay as well!

Thursday, my mom, sisters and I will be flying out to have a few days of vacation before the race.  Since I'm a single mom all week while Matthew is gone  I know I am going to be ready for some time away and  am so looking forward to spending some quality time with just us girls!  We are going to have a blast!

Wish us luck!

 

Preparing for a Little One

My friend Kaitlyn and I came up with a great idea that I absolutely love.

As you know, Kaitlyn is expecting her first child. This can be so overwhelming and I know that other first time moms probably feel the same. She has so many questions and would love to hear the opinions of moms who have already been through this a time or two before.

Because of this, we are hosting a weekly series for a few weeks to try and get some answers to some of the most common questions.

We have finished the second series, but if you have missed them here are the topics below that you can go back and check out.

Friday, April 5: Registering (Everything you need to know, Must Haves, Don't Bothers, etc...)

Friday, April 12: Nursery Organization & Ideas

Friday, April 19: Packing For The Hospital: For you & the baby

Friday, April 26: Birth Stories (The good, bad, and ugly) / Birth Plans (yes? no?)

This week starts our second mini-series.

Friday, May 3: Bringing Baby Home / Surviving The First Few Weeks

Friday, May 10: Breast Feeding vs. Formula

Friday, May 17: Calming Your Baby & Sleep Methods

Friday, May 24: Losing The Baby Weight

The second series will focus on bringing the baby home, new mom obstacles and losing the dreaded baby weight.  Even if you are a first time mom, you may have posts or input on this first series especially!! I know some of you are due any day now, so I'd love to get your input as well.

If you decide to participate on any of the weeks, all you have to do is write a post answering and discussing the topic/question that week and link up to the main post on my blog. I think it will be a great resource for tons of moms to be!

Below you can grab a button to use on your posts and it will be helpful if you link back to Wifessionals or Five 27 Jones so that others can get the details to link up as well. I really hope some of you will share your secrets with us!!!

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This week Losing the Baby Weight

Losing Baby Weight  isn't easy.  Period!

Let me just start with the fact that I wasn't at my ideal weight when I got pregnant with my first.
This was just a few weeks before we found out I was pregnant.

 Then throughout my pregnancy I gained 47 pounds.  Yeah I know that's a lot, way more than I had planned.  When  I pregnant they said a good amount was between 25-35 and my goal was 30 I thought right in the middle was good.  I passed that one pretty quick.  Needless to say for me I was huge.  I will never forget the day I gave birth when they asked me how much I weighed, I never wanted to say that number again.
Here is me 2 weeks before Noah was born.   Yuck!  I always show weight gain in my face so much.  I always have cheeks but they just get bigger and bigger.

After Noah was born I had a lot to get rid of and honestly I didn't really do a whole lot about it.   I was going through a lot of family issues, I was adjusting to my new life as a mommy.  When I got home from the hospital I had lost 13 pounds so far, and then after about two weeks I think I was at 20, then shortly 30 down.  Then the rest took awhile.  I plateaued for a good 6 months.    I did some walking here and there, tried to watch what I ate but didn't necessarily try very hard. I was uncomfortable with myself every single day but just couldn't get motivated to make any lasting changes.   Then the week of Noah's first birthday  I found out I was pregnant with Carson.

I was scared.   I still had  about 7 pounds on that I never lost from Noah and I had a hard time dealing with the fact that it was now too late to try and loose weight and I would see the numbers start to go up again.  With Carson I did better but still not too great.   I gained 33 pounds with him.
After Carson  I knew I wanted to be done and again that day when I was getting ready to have him, they asked the same questions, what is your current weight... Grrrr... I vowed again to never say that number again.  It was 7 pounds less than last time but still painful.

After Carson I was ready to loose the weight.  Right after he was born as soon as I could I tried to go on little walks when possible.  We have an elliptical and had a treadmill and as soon as  I was able I tried to start doing those a few days a week.  Carson was born August 29th and by December 6th I had lost all 33 pounds, which was just over 3 months.  I remember getting on the scale and seeing that number, it was a huge victory.  I was excited to see it but still had more I wanted to loose.

 Over the last year and a half I have done multiple things, I have continued to work out, walk, more recently running, have done some Turbo Fire, Brazilian Butt Lift, and the elliptical.  Last July I also started taking Genesis Pure which I know has contributed a ton to my weight loss and the ability to stay at my ideal weight.   I have always been a yo-yo'er but since last summer have actually kept  the weight off.  I still fluctuate about 3-5 pounds every so many weeks but I blame that one on hormones and sometimes we all have those bad eating weeks because of stress, vacations or just busy schedules.

I'm not perfect and still have some weight/body goals I would like to achieve but also proud of where I have came from.  I am in better shape now than before I got pregnant so that is a good feeling.

I hardly ever takes pictures of myself and I think I already posted this one a few weeks ago but for comparison here is a recent picture.

To all of you future mommies, here are some things to remember because I know you already know them!  

1)  It took your whole pregnancy to gain the weight, it's not going to come off as soon as your baby is born or shortly after.  It will take time, but you will get there!  

2)  Drink plenty of water ( especially if nursing).

3)  Get plenty of rest.  Your body functions better with sleep.  Sleep provides us with energy.  Getting enough sleep helps us make better food choices.  It is important and will help in the long run.  I know sleep is always the first thing I can think of to give up when I'm short on time, but it's not always the best option.  

4)  Don't diet.  Diet's don't work.  Just eat healthy foods and try more frequent smaller meals each day rather than 3 larger ones .  

5)  Make some time for yourself and get your sweat on.  Go for a walk, take your pick of workouts and do them!  I can't tell you how good it felt to really work out after Carson.  I had to get up really early and it stunk at first but once I got used to it, I really started to enjoy it.  I love the quiet time I get to myself.  I love the feeling of a good sweaty workout, makes you feel like you accomplished something.  I hear it said a lot but  love it "sweat is your fat crying".

6)  Expect for weight to look different on your post  baby body.   You may reach your  pre-baby weight but still look so different and that's normal.  Things shift, around your belly will take longer to change, my hips stayed bigger for quite some time.  That all took some extra time but again it can/ will get better. 

7)  Enjoy your baby and remember he/ she was all worth it!  

Attention Runners

I used to want to be a runner so bad.

Tried it.  Hated it.

Couldn't breathe.

Calves killed.

Would quit working out, walk or try something else.

Then for some reason this time around everything is different.

(Side note:  In case you are new around here, I'm running a half marathon in June in sunny San Diego.  It will be my first one and I'm running with my two sisters and my mom is running the full 26 mile marathon.    I just started running/ training for it in January.  Before that I hadn't ran since maybe late last Spring. )

I am loving running.   I can breathe.  My calves aren't generally a problem.

Hitting the pavement is therapeutic.  It relieves stress and I always feel much better after a run is finished.

I have already ran farther than I ever thought I could.

When I haven't got to run in a few days I crave it.  I completely understand the runner's high.

This week I ran this....

I ran with my sister for a little bit and ran the whole thing with my mom.  Running with people makes it so much  better, but for short runs my music is great too!

Did you see that run total?  I can't believe I'm up to 9 miles and I didn't feel like dying, I felt like I could handle a little more.   I love ending like that, it gives me encouragement to keep going.    Race day is exactly one month from today and I'm getting pumped.  I will get a few more longer runs in but won't be going past 11 or 12 miles until the race.

I couldn't do these runs alone.  Before my runs I take my Genesis Pure GPS E 2 which is the sports energy in the Genesis Pure sports line which is amazing.  I also take the Moomiyo Edge supplement  which is explained here.  When I was having knee problems I also started taking Mangosteen to help with pain and inflammation and this last week have been running knee brace free!  I know these products have helped changed the game for me and truly helped me become a runner and find a new healthy hobby to enjoy and I am so thankful for that!

Now I have mostly good runs, but I have also had bad runs.  Runs where I felt like I was hardly moving, runs in the freezing cold, wind, rain, runs where my my knees and hips killed, days where 3 miles seemed really hard even though I had already ran much farther and ones where I was just not in the mood.  Through it all I have kept training and am proud that  I have already made it this far.  I didn't have a goal when I started training I just wanted to finish but now that I'm this far into it, I would love to finish in under 2 hours but am being more realistic with a solid goal of 2 hours 15 minutes!

I have been talking to my mom lately about race details and thought I would see if any other runners had any good tips/advice.

I'm thinking of running with a pace group to help keep me on target to finish.  If you have ran with a pace group, would you suggest it?

Also what's your favorite race item to help keep you going?  Energy beans?  Gu?  Shock Blocks?  Glucose Tablets?

I know I'm only doing the half but I do plan to take my Genesis Pure products before but will probably also bring a little something to take during the race and need your help in decided what to take!  120 minutes of straight running is a long time!