Been a long time.

Lots has happened since my last blog entry, including getting pregnant & having a baby. My baby is now 6 months old, half a year has passed by already! Time is flying. Since my last posts I’ve done a couple half marathons and a full marathon (while pregnant). Lots of running, lots of miles to recap (if I can remember!)

irun5k2015

Completed 1000 miles of running and some walking in 2015 and am on pace to possibly double that amount this year. 2016 started quietly with a 16 mile day, split into 3 runs. Have already ran a couple of races while pushing my baby in the stroller, two 5ks, a 4 miler and a 10k so far.

1kbaby

I will be updating more frequently so stay tuned!

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iRun 10k – December 1, 2013

I cannot express how much I love the iRun events, their pacers are motivating and the group is just really positive. Plus their events are very well organized and I never have to fear of them running out of water at the finish line. And they give out medals for their events instead of heavy cotton race shirts that hardly anyone wears anyways. I personally do not wear race shirts unless they are gender specific and that is rare except for half marathons. When I went to pick up my race stuff the day after Thanksgiving they put the bib number and ads along with a reusable water bottle in a cute green gift bag. Felt more like a present than a packet pickup, in other words really special.

Taking off! Can you spot me?

The race started early and we were off and running through neighborhoods. This is the 2nd iRun 10k I have done, the first one was back in March, check out my recap here. After the race I wore my medal proudly and tried out some of the sponsored juices and fruits. I waited for the results and came in 4th place in my age group, I’m pretty happy with that, I can only hope to be 3rd in my age group next time! This race was dedicated to my friend Chez.

Extreme close up.

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Divas 5k – November 3, 2013

I never thought I would a women’s only race especially with a very girly aspect but I figured why not do something different.There was a whole lot of pink involved as you can imagine.

Starting line.

Before the sweat.

It’s not everyday that you finish a race wearing a tiara and boa to be handed a rose and a flute of champagne. Also this race had a finisher’s medal so that helped since I started getting medal crazy towards the end of the year. I was in the first wave so I had to line up pretty quickly and also felt pretty good about being in the first wave. I never thought I would be fast enough to be in the first wave of any race. As soon as the race started we were off and for half a mile I was in the fast pack, about 6th woman back, I felt like Kara Goucher for that moment, being so close to first place. It was a great feeling to be so far in the front. Towards the end of the course is where we ran through a group of kids handing out the tiaras and boas, probably the last half mile from the finish line. I quickly put the tiara & boa on as best as I could without losing too much momentum.

Action shot!

I didn’t mind the tiara too much but that boa got very hot very quickly and started to feel like a boa constrictor on my neck. Was 14th overall and 2nd place in my age group. It was the 2nd time I had ever placed in my age group so I was super excited. But I didn’t know I had placed till the awards ceremony when they called my name! By that time I had met some other women and had been talking to them about some races and when they announced my name they all cheered for me. Thank you awesome strangers! Along with the 2nd place medal I also got a certificate for laser hair removal. Haha. At least I did not place 1st in my age group, that prize was Botox. It was quite an interesting and different race but champagne is not really such a refreshing drink for right after a speedy 5k. Afterwards I went home and watched the elites finish in the New York Marathon. Also I would like to say, those Adidas capris seem to be my lucky pants, every time I wear them for a race I place. Perhaps I need to wear them more often!

Champagne & rose at the end.

Best podium pic (I have my eyes open!)

Close up of the medals, because that’s why you clicked on this post, right?

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Miami Beach Halloween Freaky 4 Miler – October 26, 2013

This race distance was new this year for this event, usually it is only the half marathon distance and I was not sure of my ability to run two half marathons so closely. When I found out they had a 4 mile race I thought it would be fun since I had never done a 4 mile race, and since most of my weekday runs are 4 miles I knew it would be easily doable. Plus the aspect of dressing up in a Halloween costume and running was a good combo. Took some time to figure out what I would wear that I could run in. I chose a gladiator costume that was short enough to wear a running skirt underneath and easy to run in (did a very short test run in my backyard to test this).

On a bridge.

Finishing with my sword out!

I was just unsure about the whole carrying a shield and sword throughout the race. I came up with the idea of putting the sword in a loop on my skirt and holding only the shield to run till the end when I would whip the sword out for the finish line photo. I have to say that idea really worked except for the fact that it was a very windy morning which was not ideal for running with a shield that was determined to hold me back. I ran the 4 miler pretty quickly despite my pace being a minute slower than normal. I lost the headband that came with my costume on the first mile, it was that windy! After the race there were buses to transport everyone back to their cars but they said it would be awhile before they left so I took a little walk down to the sand. When I was starting to walk back to the finish line and bus area I got to see the first female half marathoner finish. I love finishing races at the beach because there’s nothing like walking out onto the sand after a race and just seeing the calming ocean to relax you. I couldn’t stay too long after this race because I had to race home and get ready for my friend’s bridal shower.

The beach is the best finish line.

This was also the race that I decided to start dedicating my races to my friends. It really helps me stay focused and keep going despite my mind telling me to stop and walk. This race was dedicated to Gio.

Mini werewolf medal.

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Race Recap – Hyundai Hope on Wheels MCH 5k – September 21, 2013

The course for this race was familiar to me, as I had just ran the MS 5k back in April. Right around the golf course in beautiful Coral Gables, starting and finishing by city hall. I was pretty excited as the last time I had ran this course I had placed 3rd in my age group. Earlier that week I had convinced my friend Romney to run this race, this being his first timed 5k race.

With Romney & MJ

Even though the start time was at 7:30am the day was already very humid and hot. The usual Miami weather, but unlike the race the weekend before there was not a cloud in the sky, blazing hot sun. Luckily the beginning of the race was under the large shade trees but heading back towards the finish line the sun was directly in everyone’s eyes. Not the best finish to a race but sprinting to the finish helped me pass quite a few people apparently. Not only did I set a new 5k PR but I also finished the race an entire minute faster than the ZooRun 5k from the previous weekend. Once I finished I grabbed some water and a banana and went back to the finish line to cheer on others while I waited for Romney & MJ to cross. Earning a medal for a 5k is definitely cool and this race proceeds helped out Miami Children’s Hospital. I can remember when my sister was sent to that hospital when she broke her leg and had to be put in a body cast, but that’s a story another time.

Cute medal

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Race Recap – ZooRun 5k – September 15, 2013

Earlier this year, in February I did the RunWild 5k at ZooMiami so I knew this would be a fun race. Plus this time I was better prepared to race, mentally and physically than my 4th of July race.

I also got to use my Brooks Pure Connects to race for the first time, I had done some speed work in them beforehand so I knew they could handle a race. German came along with me for this race (we are pretty much neighbors) and we met up with Allie and my aunt. The weather was slightly cooler despite this race starting at 7:30am, but it probably had to do with the storm brewing overhead. At the sight of the rain clouds above us I put my phone in a plastic baggie (cheap way of waterproofing) just before the start. I brought a drawstring bag that I was hoping German or Allie would carry for me during the race with my camera and flip flops for afterwards. They did and used it to carry their stuff as well since they walked portions of this race.

Elephant rides with Allie.

Cheetahs German & Allie

Just before the race there was a moment of silence for those lost in September 11th and for the Boston Marathon bombing victims, a nice gesture to start a race. As soon as the race started the rain started falling and lasted for basically the first mile. Finally once it stopped the humidity came back but I pushed through my mind telling me that I could walk if I needed to. I did not walk at all during this race, I may have slowed down slightly but I did much better at this race than I had at the last Zoo Miami race and way better than the 4th of July race. As soon as I finished they gave us medals, which are very very nice and creative medals. Probably one of my favorite from this year actually. There were volunteers handing out icy cold towels and before he gave me one he asked “Are you a runner? You dont even look like you ran” I’m pretty sure he was kidding because I most likely had a very flushed red face afterwards. I walked around, got myself a banana, bottle of water and waited for Allie & German to finish. I was pretty sure they would finish about 8-10 minutes after me and I was right! Then we walked around and checked out the sponsor tents and took a pic by a finisher sign for the race. Picked up some buddy fruits and went to find the results. I was not sure how well I did but I knew that I did pretty well. I was 4th place in my age group so that was pretty satisfying. After walking around a little bit more we went back into the zoo and checked out the animals for a little while till we got tired. I changed out of my PureConnects and let my toes breathe a bit before walking around too much.

Another dorky finish line photo.

One of the best 5k medals ever!

We did it!

The end.

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Race Recap – 13.1 Allstate Miami Beach – March 9, 2013

Sorry this post is a month late, I’ve been slacking off big time lately on this blog, but no fear, I am back!

Finally the day had arrived for my first half marathon, I had been training pretty seriously for the past 3 months, not even having any alcoholic beverages during training. I figured it was a much needed detox from all the holiday parties I had attended the month before. I tapered the week before and ran a 10k six days before, I was pretty confident I would finish, my goal was to finish in 2:30 or better.

On the morning of the race, I woke up at 4am to get ready & eat something, I left my house around 4:30am and got to Miami Beach around 5am, where the clubs were still hopping and people were stumbling into the street. I found a metered parking lot and when I went to pay, it said the meters didn’t start till 9am. Free parking! I walked over to the start line, used the porta potty before it got really crowded, another good reason to get to a race an hour early.

early morning starting line

The race was supposed to begin at 6:15am but started closer to 6:20am as the directors had to get police clearance for us to start, then all the elites started 2 minutes before. I lined up close to the 2:20 pacer, hoping that would keep me paced correctly and get me to achieve my goal of 2:30 or better. But as soon as the gun went off, I sped out of there quicker than I wanted to, but I was pumped after not running for 2 days before. At about mile 3.5 I encountered the first and most deadliest of bridges, The Julia Tuttle Causeway, it was hell since I’ve had no hill training, since I live in flat Miami and we hardly have any bumps in the ground. I survived it but it slowed me down a lot, to the point that I was even walking along the bike path at some points. After that bridge was conquered, everything seemed a bit easier for awhile. Ran through some streets in Wynwood/Downtown and saw some places I would like to go to, like Bunnie Cakes, an organic & vegan bakery. Around mile 8.5 I ate 2 Honey Stinger chews for energy but was starting to fade. I know around those next few miles I slowed down a lot. I knew I was not going to negative split and I couldn’t calculate my finish time, my mind was starting to go mushy. Around mile 9.5 the 2:00 pacer group from iRun caught up with me & kept urging me to keep running. I was at the point that I just wanted to walk for a few minutes to get my mind back into it. The pacer grabbed my arm and pulled me to run again, so I started running again, and got a bit ahead of them, maybe 100 feet or so. After a couple minutes I started walking again and they caught up with me again, and grabbed me and urged me to keep running with them. I stayed with them for a few minutes and eventually slowed down and watched them ahead of me. I think it helped that the pacer was a cute guy, that definitely was a motivating factor. The last 2 miles were the roughest I think, up until that race, I had only ever run 12 miles in training. There wasn’t too many people out at 8am on a Saturday, which was surprising. I did see a surfer heading to the beach just before I made it to the finish line, not sure how well the waves were though since it wasn’t very windy.

in the zone – almost to the finish line!

Finally when I started seeing more people ahead, I knew the finish line was close by, I tried to push it for the last little bit, not sure how fast I was going though. I was probably starting to get dehydrated because I don’t like to drink water during a run, and for sure my glycogen was burned. I crossed the line while Rancid’s “Ruby Soho” was playing & almost could not believe the numbers on the clock. I finished my first half marathon at 2:03:34!! At that point I think the runner’s high hit me, because as I was walking to the food I noticed the 2:00 pacer and I went up to him and thanked him for helping keep me motivated out there. I grabbed a banana, water and headed out of the crowded food area. I went right to the Naked Juice truck and got a juice sample, collected some free Neutrogena sunscreen. Then I made a big mistake, I found an empty Boucher Bros cabana and sat down on the lounge chair, my legs were just so tired by that point, running 13.1 miles and then walking around for around 10 minutes. I figured I would be okay since I had slowed down slowly and walked a bit after I finished the race.

showing off my new medal

the resting my legs right after: mistake!

After watching the elites awards ceremony, being shocked at their finishing times I got up to walk back to the car. Suddenly the soreness came over over me as I walked back to the car, my ankle started aching and I started walking like an old lady. Haha. Also walking back to the car I was almost hit by a big truck and a car, nice, I survive 13 miles but then get killed by a car, I can see that headline now. So I left Miami Beach before I got a parking ticket, I wanted to go to Coldstone’s but apparently they don’t open till noon. Sad. Went home, ate something and took a nice long nap and prepared for a night out with the girls. Little did I know we would stay out till 6am on Sunday, ha!

Overall I was very happy with the organization of the race, and I may try to start learning to drink water on my training runs. I’ve already signed up for the 2014 13.1 Miami Beach, and might sign up for the 13.1 Ft. Lauderdale that’s happening in November, I want to collect some of the Florida Storm Series medals. I can’t wait!

close up

my favorite picture from the race – on the 2nd bridge

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Race Recap – iRun 5k/10k – March 3, 2013

When I noticed there was another 10k race in Miami, I knew I had to sign up since the Carnaval 10k was shortened and not a true 10k, I wanted to race a real 10k before my first half marathon. Although most people probably would not have done a race 6 days before their first half, what can I say, I’m a risk taker. Anyways another reason I wanted to do this race was because Adidas was one of the sponsors and I love Love LOVE all my Adidas gear. I signed up for this race about a month before, wondering how the course would be since the course map showed a neighborhood, not used to that at all. I picked up my race packet a few days before the race, it included an iRun temporary tattoo & a bag of coffee beans.

I love this iRun tattoo 🙂

The morning of the race it was chilly, I was prepared to wear 3 layers again but took off the compression core layer in the car before getting out. It was around 55 or so when the race began at 7am, so the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. I have to say it was a very good race to run before my half, super well organized and everyone was very sweet, and no need to dodge and weave walkers at the beginning! 3 water stops as it was a double loop for the 10k runners, one loop for the 5k. We ran by some restaurants I had ate at before, including Andiamo’s, best pizza in Miami & through neighborhoods. I liked that some people were outside of their houses, staring bewildered at us all running & later on the second loop, they had brought out chairs to watch everyone. I liked the way the volunteers would urge you to go faster just before the finish line and all the people cheering when you crossed it. Very very awesome. After the race I kept moving and got a Smoothie King sample & banana and walked back to the finish line to watch everyone. Another great thing is that the porta potties had toilet paper AFTER the race too! And all finishers got medals! Fun time and great race, I will definitely be doing another iRun event, I wish I lived closer & could do their weekly runs too.

a new medal!

later in Starbucks, mirror pic.

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Race Recap – Tropical 5k – January 26, 2013

I apologize for the super lateness in this post, but here it is.

As part of ING Miami Marathon weekend, they have a 5k for ING runners to warm up and everyone else to run/walk the short 3.1 mile distance. Also you get a medal at the finish line, which to me was a big incentive since I have yet to get a medal. Then again, I have also yet to race a half or full marathon either, but I am currently training for one.

Friday night I laid out all my race gear and checked weather.com, it showed a cool high 50’s morning for Saturday. That meant I would finally get to wear my long sleeve RunningSkirts top with a heart on the sleeve. If you don’t know already, I love all heart printed things, so I was overjoyed at the cool weather. Saturday morning I woke up at 5am, had a quick bowl of Kashi cereal, and was out the door by 5:30am, heading to the beach. The moon was full and peering between the buildings of downtown, made me think this was a sign of a great race day. The start was at the Children’s Museum and the finish line was at Joe’s Stone Crabs in Miami Beach, it was my first point to point race.

I met up with my friend there, about 10 minutes before the race began and we squeezed our way into the crowd, about 100 feet from the starting line. Excitement began to build as Bart Yasso spoke to the crowd just before the gun went off. Suddenly we were off, dodging and weaving around children and walkers, finally about 1.5 mile out we had a less of a crowd and could relax a little more into our pace. My friend’s calves began to cramp a bit since she had did some spinning the night before, so we slowed down slightly at the water stop. Then was the slight incline of the bridge, I never train on hills, which I know, I know I really should start, that slowed me down considerably. There weren’t too many spectators cheering us on till we got closer to the finish line, I still laugh thinking about the very Cuban ‘Dale-eee’ sign someone was holding up at the end. Sprinted the last bit and finished with a new PR of 26:11!

look at that determination lol

With my race buddy, Ana, showing off our medals. I swear I’m happy!

Right after, can you see sweat?

Close up!

We then walked over to Nikki Beach and enjoyed a banana, bagel and some oatmeal raisin cookies before walking out to the sand and looking at the ocean for a few minutes. It was a great ending to a race, how many people really get to see that after the finish line? Had an amazing morning, running on a great course with a friend. Might even do it again next year as a warm up for the ING half marathon. I’ve already signed up, what about you?

Have you ever ran a race that ended in a beautiful location? Anyone signed up for ING 2014 Half/Full Marathon yet?

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