Race recap

The 2013 Disney Princess Half Marathon was awesome! I am so proud of myself and all of the other princesses, especially Erika, Heather, and Heather. We worked so hard and didn't fail! We all finished and we weren't injured. That in itself is a huge accomplishment.

Since I did this race two years ago with my sister, walked almost all thirteen miles, and enjoyed every moment taking in all that Disney has to offer, I decided to actually run almost all 13 miles this time. I toyed with the idea of completing the run in under 2 hours but after a smack of reality, I changed my goal to under 2:20. This was more realistic with the training I had completed. I finished under my goal time with a chip time of 2:15:59! I am super stoked with that time given the conditions. The week before the race I came down with a cold. Sudafed and coffee were my best friends, plus Matthew decided that sleep was optional...again. Come Saturday morning and Erika was ready with my chariot (thanks Larry) and off to Orlando we went. Thank goodness Erika pumped the theme of hydration into my head throughout Saturday. We must have drank 100 ounces of water (lots of bathroom breaks). We hit the race expo got our packets, shopped the expo, ate dinner, and were home in bed by 8 and ready for race day. As a side note, rundisney merchandise at the expo was gone by the time we got there, so no fun disney race memorabilia. But I discovered Yurbuds, the most awesome earbuds for music. I digress.

I finally got into a good sleep and then bam! 3 am the alarm went off. We were up, dressed, and geared up to get on the bus to our start area by 3:30 am along with 22,000 other princesses. It was almost 100% humidity and rain was forcasted somewhere in our day. I am so thankful for training outdoors in south Florida so I was use to the humidity. We all started in Coral B and at 5:41 the fairy godmother said her rhyme, the fireworks went off, and off we went. The start was choppy being there were so many women jockeying for a space and room to run. At least for the first mile, I was bobbing and weaving to get enough room to not trip over or elbow another girl. Once you pass that point, Disney has all sorts of photo ops with character, scenes, and other disney-like stuff that everyone stops for. If you keep running you can break away from the crowd and have room to run. So I did just that. I ran for 4 miles before I slowed to a walk to eat my Gu gummies and keep up my energy. Already at this point, I saw women limping, throwing up, and holding on to each other for support. The humidity was already starting to get them. I decided to play it safe and stop at every water station from that point on.  Boy am I glad I did. At mile 7, it was porta potty time and there was no line. Luck! I continued the race running about a mile and a half at a time and then walking through each water station taking both a powerade and a water cup. Before I knew it I was at Epcot and close to the finish line. I almost couldn't believe I was at the end.  I saw the big purple sign for the finish and tried to run faster (I really didn't though). I high fived Minnie Mouse and ran straight through the finish cute. YAY!!! I got my sparkly medal and a box of food and drinks and parked my tired butt on the concrete to stretch.


We regrouped once we all finished. Discussed our individual races. And off to shower. Erika and I decided to walk around Hollywood studios, which was so weird without kids. Fun! My legs were tired but felt ok. But I felt my cold coming back to haunt me. I found some Tylenol and we had a great time as big kids.

Once we got home, all hell broke loose. I was home for five minutes before the school was calling to pick up Ethan because he had a fever. So back to mommy duty. The house was still standing (although it desperately need to be cleaned), children were fed and clothed, and mike wasn't pulling his hair out. I think they did ok. After everything was back to normal, my body crashed. I came down with the worst sickness ever! Laryngitis, sore throat, cold, cough, headache, pink eye. You name it, it hurt! It's has been a week and a half I have not been able to run! It's a little devastating, but I'll get back. As a matter of fact, I think I may have been bitten by the running bug...I am doing the Coral
Spring Half Marathon on March 30...as long as I'm healthy.

I did it! I am proud of myself for following through. Proud of myself for all that I did to get to this point. Proud to have the support of everyone  around me, encouraging me that I can do it. Just because I'm a wife and a mom is not an excuse to not do something. Yes I am tired. Yes I am busy. But yes I can do things. I can be the best wife and mother while being anything else that I strive to be. If I can do it, anyone can.

It's a crazy feeling that over a week ago, I ran my run. I planned for so long that I kind of can't believe its over. It was a great race and a great journey.

Ellie.com (previously Pvbody.com)

Remember that company I blogged about a while back (Pvbody.com)? Well, they have revamped themselves and now offer more amazing clothes than before. Previously, you were able take a style quiz and they would send you an outfit that they think you would like based on that quiz from various clothing brands. They had SUCH an overwhelming response that they decided to make their own clothing line!! You still take the same style quiz but are allowed to choose 2 pieces in your monthly subscription or they will choose them for you based on your quiz results. The best part is that every month there is a new collection so you won't get duplicates! You can also skip a month if you aren't thrilled with the selection, but if you live in workout clothes like me, I don't think you will ;) You can purchase any or all of the clothes at regular price or join the Fit Fashionista Club for $49.95 per month. Each month you can pick any two pieces from that month's line. 

Ellie features fashionable, high-quality athletic clothing at an affordable price. A new line of clothing comes out every month and Ellie sent me two samples from the February line to try out (Sorry for the awful picture) I got the Just Like Heaven T-shirt and the Heartbreaker Capris. Let me tell you, this shirt is just like heaven! So super soft and air patches in just the right spots. The capris are very stretchy but very compression like. I LOVE both pieces and the sizes are just right. And running in it was very comfortable too.

Great news!!! Ellie has made me an ambassador so I can offer you 20% your first order just by clicking on the link below and signing up! You can purchase any or all of the clothes at regular price or join the Fit Fashionista Club for $49.95 per month. Each month you can pick any two pieces from that month's line. As a member of the club, you also get free shipping and returns/exchanges on all of your orders.

Save 20% on Ellie! (Click this to save!)

I hope you check out Ellie and give them a chance. I'm so glad I did :)

This is it!

This is it! My last post before race day! After all the training, sicknesses, complaining, highs, lows, and everything in between, I made it through.  It has been a roller coaster past few months, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have become stronger mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Although I came down with a cold this week :( I'm doing everything in my power to get better...(except for sleeping...Matty is making sure of that). My goal is to hydrate, eat well, sleep, and squeeze in one more short run. Sunday was my last run and it was freezing, in south Florida terms. As I ran, I thought of all the people running the Ft. Lauderdale marathon at the same moment and how cold it was. I really felt for them. My 5 miles had nothing on their 26.2 long, cold, and windy miles. The weather in Orlando for the race is forecasted to be great, 67 for the low and 85 for the high with a 20% chance of rain. This is what I trained in so I should be comfortable. I am so ready to do this!

Thanks for following all of my rants and raves leading up to this. Writing this all down has really made an impact on me. Reading my own thoughts on paper (or computer screen) has made appreciate the journey and all that comes with it. I plan on continuing to blog and will definitely recap the race for you. Until then, keep on truckin :)

Just not feeling it...

The title says it all. I am just not feeling it right now. Last time I trained for a big race I fell into this same funk. After a while you just crash and need a break. But with this big race 2 weeks away, crashing is not option.

 This weekend I completed the Five Guys 10k in Boca in 1:01:47. At the start of the race I remember saying to one of the other girls "I'm not feeling it today". I guess I shouldn't have expected to do my greatest with that attitude. Remember the Matthew issue? Well, that has gotten MUCH better, but my body is hating me. He now takes a bottle, sleeps through the night (most nights), and nurses about 2 times a day. I'm not sure why the morning of this race, my milk decided to come in in full force! So that started my morning.

During the run I used my normal Nike plus app. However, it didn't seem to work right. It clocked my first mile in 7:56! I thought I was flying!! But people were passing me still....hmmmm. Then it said I completed a mile but I didn't see the 1 mile sign yet. So I slowed a bit. Stupid. I finally passed the 1 mile mark but my app said 1.63 mile....hmmmm. But I kept going. I slowed my mile down to a 8:30 mile and set in and kept running. Finally by mile 6 and I was only passing the 5 mile mark, it dawned on me that my app sucks. I'm not that quick obviously. I just thought maybe, with some dumb luck, they mis-marked the route. I was wrong and at the finish I was just over an hour. In the end, my app said I completed 7.07 miles when a 10k is only 6.2 miles.  If I would have never slowed down because I listened to my app, I would be at my goal and under an hour. Although I didn't meet my goal, I made a personal record and I need to be happy with that. Beating any previous race time is a success (thanks Heather for that encouragement). I am in a constant battle and competition with myself and I need to realize that completing a race is the win, not injuring myself. Not to be the best but to be MY best.

Making excuses is not the answer, just try harder next time.

Keeping focused, staying positive

After my last blog post, I decided that I was really going to amp up my training and seriously get prepared for the "big race". Stupid idea! Let me set the stage for ya. It was Monday, MLK day, and Mike was home from work.  He took the kids to school, went to workout for himself, came home to watch Matthew, and I was able to go for a mid day run. This troubled me a little since I was an early morning runner.  Running in south Florida in the winter is just as bad as running in the summer, hot and humid. But I went anyway. It was planned to be an 8 mile run and I wasn't going to quit before that. So here's the breakdown: miles 1 & 2 were not so bad, 3 & 4 I was already tired so I ate some Gu cubes (which did nothing-and did I mention I forgot my water!), mile 6-7 wasn't bad, but then I hit a wall. I had no business running that last mile but come hell or high water, this was training right? Dumb idea. I made it to 8 miles and walked home a half a mile. I was tired but felt ok.

 The next morning, holy mother! I thought my left foot was broken. I limped around all day, put ice on it, elevated it. But it only got worse. By day 3, I was ready to cry. I even gave up on the Race For The Cure run. I couldn't risk injuring myself further and not be able to complete the Princess Half, which is much bigger to me. All of this stress gave me a wicked headache so I took a Motrin and about 30 minutes later, there was no foot pain. It was a miracle! So Motrin is the trick. I was able to run a mile that evening with no pain and no increased damaged was done. 2 days later I was able to run 6 miles on the treadmill and still no pain. Again today I hit the treadmill and did 3 miles with no pain. I try not to take the Motrin but the pain still lingers once in a while. I have been researching this to no end and the major advice is to not take the Motrin and run since you can't feel the pain until way after you finish running and you could do more damage. Rest, ice, compression, elevation. I have been following this regimen and I'm back in the game. I'm feeling much better and more confident.

Oh, and Matthew now sleeps the night and takes a bottle. That stress has decreased a ton.
Now I just need to slowly get some serious miles in so I will be prepared for February 24th...the big day. I am slowly going to make my way, not get injured, and run an awesome race!

Happy running :)

Run momma run!

I know it's only the middle of January, but I have kept my New Years resolution! I dove head first and hardcore into running. Mike and I are participating in the Armageddon Ambush race this weekend and I have signed up for the Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure on January 26th. So I'm on my way to my twelve races in twelve months.  I'm also getting excited for the Princess Half in one month! It's coming quick and I'm hoping I'm ready. I keep changing my mind on my goal time. Faster, slower, faster, slower. I don't know what I'm doing. I've got to get my head together. I'm just trying not to get injured or stressed before the big day so I can run, run, run. But here's where my head is at.

As you all know, we have a wee little one at home and he is quite the handful. Just when I think life is getting back to easy, baby Matthew throws his little baby monkey wrench in the mix. For the past two weeks he has not slept or stuck to a schedule/routine. Sleepless nights have been frequent since he has decided that sleep is optional. I am also a human pacifier. He is only comforted by me and the boob and if I walk more than 5 feet away from him, he crawls after me crying. So I carry him ALL day long. That makes for a very long day and you can't go for a run with a baby in your arms. I also keep thinking about how Mike is going to have all three kids alone for two days while I am in Orlando running. He can't feed Matthew the way I can so we have to get him on the bottle and the sleepless night are going to be awful. Because of this huge stress looming over my head, I have sought out the help of my loving mommy friends and they have steered us in the direction of a few good books and we have read through them all. We combined all of the advice in the books and came up with our own way to get Matthew back to his happy little self. It's taking us a little longer than the books say, but hey at least we are making progress. Tonight he took a bottle and went to sleep easily. I'm chalking that up to a win. 

 But I'm not going to let any of this get me down. I have been trying to get in two short runs during the week and one long run on the weekend. I usually prepare Mike the night before for morning baby duty so I can go out and run. He just knows to be prepared for me to whine and complain about Saturday morning runs and I'll eventually go Sunday morning (he has been really good and tries not to complain about my procrastination).  Ethan and Amanda have also been good motivators too. Before every run they tell me to run fast and they love me. And when their favorite songs come on during my run, I run faster and with a big smile. 

I have been trying to look on the bright side every day and not beat myself up for those days that I'm dragging from being up all night with Matthew. A positive attitude and a go with the flow attitude keeps me trukin and have really made all the difference in my training. 

Keep your chin up ladies. 

It's a new year! Let's reset

2012 is a thing of the past. It was a good year for my family. We welcomed my beautiful and amazing little boy Matthew into the world as well as my niece Kaitlyn. Everyone was in good health, except for the last 2 weeks of the year. That nasty stomach virus swept through my house as well as everyone's house in NY during our Christmas visit. At least Christmas wasn't ruined.

December is always a crazy month. Between birthdays, holidays, traveling, and illnesses, it's a wash. Unfortunately, that means so is my training. For 18 days, I could not find the time or energy to run or do any form of exercise. There was just so much holiday prep to take care of and then my children decided that sleep was optional.  I started beating myself up for every cookie I ate and every day that went by that I didn't exercise. By the time Christmas was over and our disastrous NY trip was over (I'll spare you the gory details but the stomach bug hit everyone!), I was already thinking of how to reset and to fix my rut.

I decided that starting the new year off right with a run was the way to go. Since my children are still young and go to bed early, we stayed in for the new year. No hangover (oh how times have changed). I was up bright and early, had my morning cup o' joe, and off I went. I set up my Nike+ app on my iPhone and walked a tenth of a mile, then I just ran. And ran, and ran! The whole time thinking to myself "this is a reset", "I'm starting over", "keep those legs moving", "another few minutes". After 3.5 miles, I was amazed. Talking myself through it the whole time, I was able to run with minimal fatigue. After being off for almost 3 weeks, I thought this was great! I'm feeling like I'm back in the game. Now I need to keep that up and run 3-5 miles 3 days a week and one big run on the weekends leading up to the Princess Half Marathon (so exciting). That gives me 7 weekends. I can do this! I got this! (Gotta be positive!)

Now on to the New Years resolution. Since I started running and breast feeding,  I have become thinner than normal and lost a lot of muscle. My resolution this year is to be more conscious of my body. Adding more yoga and weight lifting, and eating better.  Not to bulk up but to keep my body healthy.

On top of that resolution, I wanted to see if anyone wanted to join me in a group resolution. It's a long term one (12 months to be exact). How about 12 races in 12 months!? It can be any race (5k, 10k, half marathon, triathlon, duathlon, mud run, etc) and it can be more than 1 race a month but at the end of the year you need to have complete 12 races. If you are up for it, let me know. I'm willing to do it together as a team. Then we can pick a reward for ourselves when we finish :)

Running is all a mind game. If you can just push past your fears and discomfort, you can run further than you think.

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!!!

PS: The workout clothing company I am always talking about (Pvbody) is having fun new promotion this month!  They are offering every pv.body babe that signs up this month access to their 30 Day Challenge to kick start resolutions!  It's also available to all current members!  The pv.body 30 day challenge provides you with your own personal dietitian and trainer to help you meet your fitness and health goals.  Everyday, our pv.body babes will be given a new challenge that they can share with friends!  Challenges include workouts, recipes, meal plans, group activities and more!  

1. Sign up here through my link and receive 20% off: http://pvbody.com/try/alisonstone

2. Take the pv.body 30 Day Challenge here to kick start your New Year resolutions and receive tons of fun prizes: http://pvbody.com/challenge  

(IMPORTANT: Please note that you will not receive the discount though this link; you have to sign up through my link above to receive the 20% off.)