I am a runner

Hello, hello!

So... are you ready for a long-ish post?

This past Sunday I ran a half-marathon.  Is that a long way?  I don't know.. I guess it depends on what you consider to be long.  Let's back track just a tiny bit.

I never considered myself any sort of athlete.  Sure, I played the seasonal sports in middle school (volleyball, basketball, track & field), but not because I really like them.. more because it seemed like I "should".  I am Hispanic, and my family LOVES all the carbs.  So, that's how I grew up!  I ate more than my fair share of tortillas, and we were always encouraged to clean our plate.  I cringe at the thought, but we would have soda or kool-aid (the sweetened kind) to drink, not just plain water.  Sugar!  Whee!  This is why I felt like I "should" participate in sports... because I always felt like I should lose weight and get in shape.  It wasn't really because I was any good at it, or that I really enjoyed it.

Well, now let's fast forward to when I finally decided to give running another try.  My son was born in the last weeks of 2008.  I can count on one hand the number of times I actively did something like go to the gym or go for a walk.  I was so consumed by him and when I wasn't with him, all I wanted to do was sleep!  Well, at about a year and half he decided he was done nursing, and I was still waking up for his early feeding.  Instead of breaking that habit, I decided it would be the perfect time to go to the gym.  About a year later I was flipping through a women's fitness magazine (Shape) and saw an ad for an all-girls 5K obstacle course.  I didn't really know what to expect with an obstacle course or a 5K, but I decided to sign up for it!  Why not?!  After that, a friend who had run the 5K obstacle course with me told me about a new race.. a MARATHON.. a marathon was really going to happen in our local community.

In what I can only imagine as a fit of insanity, I signed up to run the full marathon.  Crazy, right?  Even crazier.. I still considered myself pretty "soft" but now I did consider myself stronger and "normal" by the typical media standards.  Throughout my running, though, my image has shifted and now I'm much more concerned with the way my body feels and what I'm able to do.  That didn't happen quickly at all and sometimes I still do fret about my size.  Thankfully, these little bursts do not last very long.

Onward.. let's train for a marathon.  I joined a running group and trained with others who were also planning to run the marathon.  Throughout most of this training I still did not understand fully what it would FEEL like to run 26.2 miles.  I experienced a lot of pain.  Muscles were sore, one of my hips was hurting quite a bit, my feet would hurt from the pounding.  I don't really remember much pain in my knees, though I'm sure I had that, too!

On the course!  That's my son running to catch me.

Completing my first marathon in 2011 was an experience filled with many ups and downs.  With each mile completed, a feeling of strength, but also of weakness, happiness, but also worry.  Somehow I arrived at race day in a semi-healthy state and survived to collect my finisher medal and tech tee.  Oh the feelings.. from "I just propelled myself through 26.2 miles, hear me roar!" to "oh it hurts so much to walk".  What an amazing experience and one I will likely remember the rest of my life.


Obviously it wasn't too painful because I've completed 3 other marathons (all on the same local race) and several half marathons.  I haven't really thought about marathon #5 in a while, but after this last race, I actually didn't dismiss the idea right away.  In the back of my head I would like to run a full marathon again when I am 45, which will be year 10 for the local event.  For some reason I think that I should do one before that.  Of course, I don't know yet.  I may sign up for the half marathon again and be content with that.  And the next hour I think I will register for the full marathon, knowing that, if needed, I would be able to switch distances or defer about a month before race day.

First marathon medal

Marathon #4--best part of the race

 So, what's the big deal with our local race?  First of all.. it's unlikely that I would travel to run a marathon, but if it's in my own back yard.. why not?  Second, the founder of the race is also the founder of Mercy Project, an organization that works to end child slavery.  They are currently working in Ghana, Africa and over 80 children have been reunited with their families.  I think they work they do is selfless and generous, kind and compassionate.  I can definitely get behind that.  That's why I choose to support this race.  The past 3 years I've been fortunate to run as a member of Team Mercy Project.  This team's mission is to raise even more funds to help the mission of Mercy Project.

Every year this race has gotten better.  The participant tees, finisher medals and finisher gifts have always been great.  For Year 5, the organizers did something really special for those of us who had run every year: a custom rack for our medals.

So.. about this year.  Well, this was a rough training year for me.  I wasn't in any kind of shape to actually race and attempt a PR, but I knew I could get through it.  I typically go through a routine leading up to race day: resting, eating, hydrating, polish selection, gear selection, alarms!

Let's talk polish.  This year I chose to use a black glossy cream: OPI Who are you calling bossy?!!!  It is from a Peanuts Halloween collection.. I adore Snoopy/Peanuts, so of course I needed to get this polish.  These photos show 2 or 3 coats plus glossy top coat.  I think my bottle may be a little tampered with, actually.  Sad face!  When I opened it for the first time I had to use a rubber grip to pry it open.. when I did open it, I found a layer of polish crusted on.  That shouldn't happen on a brand new bottle of polish, especially on one from such a big polish brand. Anyway, it applied well enough, but it wasn't opaque in 1 coat as some of the reviews I read said.  Oh well.  I like it anyway because Snoopy!

And finally.. some photos including my best running pal, the gear I wore and goodies received as part of this year's race.

Team Mercy Project tee (blue): received for being on the team and committing to raise $350 for Mercy Project
Brooks shoes: Ghost 9  I love Brooks!  version 9 feels really good and I will probably buy a back up pair or two to have ready to go for my 2017 training
Finisher medal: beautiful stained glass appearance etched with date and distance, first thing received after crossing the line
Watch: My trusty Nike+ finally bit the dust this fall, so my husband got me a replacement by TomTom.  I haven't quite figured it out yet, but it gets the basics done (time, distance, speed)
Participant tee (yellow): received for registering for the race
White quarter-zip: received for purchasing the VIP package which included VIP (speedy) packet pick up, valet parking, access to fancy flush toilets at the start line and finish line, VIP bag drop, access to climate control room for post race refueling and garment changes
Navy jacket: received for crossing the finish line

If you have stuck with me this far on the post, THANK YOU!  :)  Please let me know in the comments your thoughts on running, or anything! 

Read more about Mercy Project!
Read more about the BCS Marathon & Half Marathon!

Until next post XOXO
Vanessa