Ouch...Damn That Hurts!!

Ive been working out seriously for 8 years now..and I have been very blessed not to have any major injuries (knock on wood).  I have the typical aches and pains that come with endurance sports, but nothing like I have experienced in the last 24 hours.

After my workout with Hector on Tuesday, my left knee and I.T. Band hurt so bad that I couldn't walk correctly.  I came home and iced the leg and elevated it plus took some Tylenol but the pain got worse throughout the day.  I ended up going to Epcot last night with my husband and had dinner at Morocco and could barely hobble back to the car.  It brought back memories from the Disney Marathon slowly making my way around the World Showcase.

This morning, it has improved.  I did my bike workout and this actually seemed to help the range of motion but MAN...this really hurts!!  You get all kinds of fears in your head when you have pain like this.  Am I going to have to hang up this idea of running an Ironman? Am I still too damn heavy to make this attempt?? Do I need to go see a sports physician?  I am going to take it easy on it tonight and apply more ice and elevation and see where we go from here!

You gotta keep believing...

I haven't written in awhile.  Its so easy to write when things are going well and you are excited about your world and your experiences.  It is difficult to write when things are a little rough.

Lance Armstrong said "I take NOTHING for granted...I now only have good days...and great days".  I loved this sentiment so much that I bought the shirt with it on it.  There are times when every athlete struggles..

This is one of those times.

A wonderful Team in Training honoree and Mentor lost her battle against Leukemia and I just couldn't bring myself to attend her services even though she touched my life in a very positive way.  As I heard the news that she was losing her battle, it flooded my mind and my emotions of the battle that Christian waged against this disease .. and lost.  It made me PISSED that we are again losing a precious soul to this insidious disease and I was angry at myself that I was a coward and didn't attend her memorial.  This weakness needs to be addressed somehow.

My good friend Rick has purchased a new home in Orlando 3 years after the death of his son, Christian,  and 5 years after the start of our Boot Camp business together.  Although I am thrilled and excited to have him as a neighbor, I  agreed to help him pack up, sort through all his belongings, have a MASSIVE Garage Sale (which was yesterday) and .. most importantly, take apart Christian's room and help him sell some of his precious Star Wars toys and collectibles that have been there since he died.  It has been a very emotional time watching my dearest friend relive some special moments in the house he is now leaving.  I never would have thought that being in Christian's room and being around that house would spark so much emotion...but it has..and it has been very hard.  Christian was my Godson....but since I don't have any children, my godchildren are very special to me.

Along with this , is the renovation of my home gym that was suppose to take 2 to 3 weeks that has now taken almost 2 months.  Between backordered doors, broken wall glass, and beams that required reenforcement, the task of adding room and light to my dark and depressing workout room has taken on stress of its own.  We had planned on having the floors refinished in the house after the room was done so that project will not start for at least another two weeks..so we are looking at the end of March before we are back to normal.  Its a small thing but can "upset your apple cart" a little bit.

On top of all that...I washed my cellphone.  Ok....you gotta laugh at this one right?? How many of you have done the same?? Come on...admit it!!  You have either dropped your phone in the toliet, washed it in the back pocket of your jeans or destroyed it in some creative way!!  That insurance that you take out on the phone, thats a load of *&#@!!! I needed my phone back in working order like...NOW...not in a couple of days when they could MAIL the thing to me!!  So, after redoing my contract, I got a reasonably priced phone and got back to business.

With all this said...I guess I am looking for the excuses of why I am not excited about working out and why my workouts are so hard.  I have felt myself losing focus on my dream and the thought of quitting the quest has lurked in the back of my mind.  After days of working my butt off with very little sleep, I took a day for me.  I got a massage and a pedicure.  I slept in (for me that 715am instead of 400am) and sat down in a comfy chair and pulled out a DVD of the last Ironman World Championships....and....its amazing how clarity and focus can come back in the midst of the storm.  I remember why I am on this journey....I remember the dream that has been so important to me...I remember why I get up early and why I swim, bike and run for hours.....I remember now...<

So tomorrow, when I get up to go work boot camp, I will remember that I am blessed.  I am blessed with the ability to get out of bed and participate in a sport that is so amazing.  I will remember that there are families out there who are waging a battle much bigger than this journey.  I will remember that cellphones can be replaced, that patience in the face of backorders and construction delays is a virtue...and most of all...I will remember that I AM AN IRONMAN....well...at least in my heart I am!

What? I don't have to mentor this weekend??

And how weird is that!? Friday night, I thought to myself "What time do I have to be at practice tomorrow??" Wait..there is not practice tomorrow.  Well, some of the die hards just couldn't resist, so we got together at the Lake Mary Panera Bread at 6am for a run (and for some of us..a ride and a run).  It was misty, rainy and humid but I did my 45 minute run at Hector's recommended heart rate of the day..and it felt great. 45 minutes?? Piece of cake!!!  I headed off to the Y later in the afternoon to do a weight workout then it was on to cleaning out my workout room at home.  Starting Monday, my workout room is being expanded and updated! It will mean about a month without my normal place for my bike trainer and treadmill (the trainer has been relocated to my bedroom and the treadmill is in storage) but once its done...it should be awesome!

Beth and I ran together for a little while and I experienced some weezing that I haven't had in about 2 years.  I sometimes use a rescue inhaler but its been months since I needed that.  Beth concluded that it was due to the weather that I was having this problem but it was definitely a minor issue.

Hector has already posted next week's workout..looks like fun.  Next week's challenges include the ING Miami Half Marathon (had to have the medal).  If you're going to run this race, make sure you email me...we are all getting together Saturday night for pasta and fun!!!  

Ill post more soon!!

I survived 26.2 miles

And to say I survived is the best way I can describe the race...I started...I crossed the finish line and I have the pictures and medal to prove it.

Was it pretty?? Nope, can't say it was.  It was one of the most difficult things I have done but I can honestly say that I ran the 2008 Disney Marathon and completed the task.

I can sit here and type about the famous "wall" that marathon runners hit (mine was at mile 19) or I can tell you about the sweepers that pick people up when they are not running at 16:00 minute mile pace.  Half way through the race, I was 25 minutes ahead of the sweepers.  By mile 23, I was 1 minute 30 seconds ahead.  I could tell you about the fact that I lost so much sodium during the race that my black running tights were partially white.  I could tell you that I laughed at silly jokes told to me by my running partner Rick and that I cried when I heard one of my good friends was swept at mile 18.  I could go on and on about how the "me" that started the race was not the same "me" that finished the race.  I could fill this blog with all that stuff...but the bottom line here is this:

1. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society raise 6 million dollars from the fundraising done by over 1900 athletes that participated in this event.

2.That every one of my teammates from the Central Florida Chapter finished either the half or the full marathon (including one of my dearest friends-Debbie-who ran her first half marathon this weekend)

3. I got a BOATLOAD of work to do prior to Ironman Florida

I want to thank all the amazing people who helped me during the weekend including the Team in Training staff (Andrea, Kelly, Crissey, and Ruth), Coach Beth, Coach Bill and Coach Sean who made the last mile of the marathon the most enjoyable mile of my running career so far. To my new Ironman Coach-Hector Torres-for being on the course at Mile 24 after running his own marathon in 3:55 (holy moley thats fast). For my amazing friend Rahul who ran my pace for several miles before going on to complete the Goofy Challenge.  For my incredible friend, Vi, who at age 50 something went out and completed her 2nd Goofy Challenge and ran with me in the middle of "no man's land (miles 14 to 18). For my friend, Mike Auld who appeared at mile 13 with those encouraging words. To Joy for giving her all at this marathon, and at every race she enters.

 I can not express to you how much my husband did to help me during this race.  He broke several traffic laws and pissed off several Disney security officers while riding his motorcycle, along with my friend Debbie, to mile 19...just where I needed them most.  (Debbie..you are so brave to ride that course on the back of the motorcycle..thank you thank you). And last but not least,a big thank you goes to Rick for helping me make each step (and held my hand part of the way..ok...several miles of the way) towards conquering my fear of the marathon distance.  You all were amazing and I could not have completed this race without all these people.

So, today was my rest day.  Tomorrow, my training focuses on ONE goal.  I have 10 months to prepare for the Ironman Challenge.

Inspiration comes from so many places...

Thursdays are my long days as I head to my job with Walt Disney World.  I am very blessed.  I get paid to do something I adore. I'm a Disney Diver.

You are probably scratching your head and saying "A What?" Well, Disney is the proud owner and developer of a 6 million gallon aquarium known as the Living Seas at Epcot.  In this environment, Disney operates two diving programs: one known as Aqua Tours, which is a scuba assisted snorkeling program and other is DiveQuest, which is a scuba program for guests who are certified divers.  I am one of 45 Divemasters (and only 1 of 5 women in these positions) that make sure the guests are safe in the water and conduct underwater tours of the environment. Yup! Im an underwater tour guide. I also get to make sure the boss (Mr. Mickey himself) is safe when he dives in the environment.  Did you know that Mickey was a certified diver?

As I geared up for another day of fun at the Mouse House, I met the most incredible woman. Mary arrived for our snorkeling program in a wheelchair and its my job to assess her mobility. At first, she told me she could walk up stairs and could move pretty well but after awhile it was very clear that she was going to have a tough go of it.  Although I never asked her, I believe she suffered from some form of scoliosis (sp?) as her body was very twisted and her left foot actually pointed left instead of forward.

Once we helped her into a wetsuit and got her wheelchair to the diving platform and into the water (Disney even has wheelchair access to our diving platform), I helped her on with her gear.  I asked her if she was fearful...we get alot of new snorkelers that are scared of the two 9 1/2 foot sharks in our environment or don't like the sting rays that inhabit the waters.  She looked me in the eye and said "Fear: False Evidence Appearing Real.  Thats what that is.  Why be afraid?  You gotta face your fears or you just arn't living." At first I was a bit taken aback...but her determination made me smile!  I showed her how to use our S.A.S.S. equipment (Scuba Assisted Snorkeling System) and, with the assistance of her husband, she was off.  She swam and explored for the full 30 minutes and never looked back.

And as I helped her back to the locker rooms, she told me about all the fish I see everyday.  She told me one of the turtles surfaced right next to her and how she really wanted to grab a fin and go for a ride.  Her excitement really got me going.

No Fear.  No fear of life. No fear of the challenge.  No fear of the unknown.  Wow!

You know, I believe God works in mysterious ways.  Yesterday, I had the marathon on my mind and started to let the fear of not completing this race again get to me.  I REALLY had a bad attitude going into the day and the big guy upstairs made it a point of showing me how very blessed I am in so many ways. I can walk. I can run.  I can do multiple endurance races in a year.  I can get around my world and my life with little assistance from others.  I am blessed beyond measure.

So as I make my way through 26.2 miles on Sunday, Im going to keep Mary in mind.  No fear.

Running for the cause...Remembering Christian

Its a strange week in my Ironman Training...Im  having to take it easy.  On Sunday, I am going to make a second attempt at completing the Disney Marathon.

Last year, I entered the Goofy Challenge.  This Challenge consists of doing the Disney Half Marathon and the Disney Full Marathon in the same weekend...a little over 39 miles of running. Several days before the race, I came down with the stomach flu but started to feel better on Friday night.  I got up Saturday morning and ran the half marathon with a bit of difficulty but I finished the race.  By Sunday, my body was feeling pretty horrible.  The dehydration from being ill and from the temperature on race day was just too much and I ended up in the medical tent with an IV in my arm.

That will not happen this year!

I am running my marathon with my good friend, business partner and new Ironman, Rick Stafford.  Rick and I own Operation Fitness Boot Camp together and he has helped me train for my first triathlon, my first half ironman and more.  When we go to races, I usually tell him to go on and run his own race as he is dramatically faster than me.  For this race, he will run at my pace and help me complete the 26.2 miles before the cutoff time of 7 hours.  

We run these races for a very specific cause.  For the Disney Marathon, I am a Mentor for Team in Training which raises money for research for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  3 years ago, I lost my 8 year old godson (Rick Stafford's son) to Leukemia and from that moment forward, it has been my life goal to help find a cure for cancer through my work with the Society.  During the training that has lead up to the Disney Marathon, our team of about 100 runners and walkers lost another young brave soul to this disease. Parker was a young boy suffering from Leukemia. After over a year of fighting, he left this world in November.  Our team was heartbroken but it also made us more focused on our purpose...we are running for a cause.  Leukemia is a cowardly disease.  It has a tendency to pick on little kids.  My goal is to never see another family go through the pain of losing a child to cancer.

So on Sunday, when the miles of the marathon start to get painful, I will remember my godson, Christian Richard Stafford, who was so brave and strong in fighting his battle with Leukemia...and I will remember Parker, who's smiling face would never have let on that he was terminally ill.  These kids are the strong ones...and I just wanna find a cure.

4:00AM comes dreadfully early...

4:00 am...and the alarm goes off!! UGH!!  Its time to get up, smile,  and give my great clients a hardy Good Morning in my 5:00am Boot Camp classes...

Yes, you read that right...I own half of a Fitness Boot Camp..

My day starts early and I tend to grumble alot until I see the faces of people who show up for their workout at Oh-Dark-Early in the morning and it reminds me of just how hard it is for all of us to roll out of bed and make this commitment to fitness.  Sleeping in is a luxury for me...which I now enjoy to the fullest when I get the chance but a more exciting benefit of owning a fitness business is to watch people get stronger, leaner, faster and better overall.  It really isn't about getting into the size 6 jeans (although thats a great goal)..its really about FEEEEELING BETTER...and living better.

So I salute my clients who  hit the snooze at 4:00am for just 5 more minutes of slumber before braving the elements and challenges of Boot Camp!!  Hooo Yahhh!!