Heritage Half Marathon - Done!

 Achievement Unlocked

Well well well... guess who successfully completed her very first half marathon?!  :)
That's right! All that training on ridiculous inclines and adding those extra miles paid off! Whether it was in NY or in VA, there was always plenty of work to do! I may have only had 6 weeks to train, but i tried to make the most of it. I was really worried about how i'd do since the weather was looking rainy and i had just been informed of the several miles of straight inclines through the course. 8 miles was the most i had done at one time a week prior to the race, but i wasn't gassed out after them so I figured I would be ok. Just get some gels and stay hydrated, right? So there i was... 7am waiting to go. It was dark and it was raining. I thought for sure i'd be done in close to 3 hours. Well, i'm so super proud of myself for not taking 3 hours. I finished in 2:20. Sure it's not the fastest, but it was sure as hell a lot faster than i thought i would take on my first half! I can't really put into words how I feel about it all though. Besides the obvious, feeling incredible and triumphant. I guess you'd have to know what running really means to me to even try to understand. It's so much more than just being healthy.
I started my running journey over a year ago and it was more for therapy than anything. Through rain, snow, heat and fog i found my strength and learned to push through all the pain, sweat and tears. That's right... tears. Each mile showed me just how much i was really capable of both physically and mentally. I was never any good at running and trust me when i say i HATED it at first!! Now i just can't get enough of it. I grew so much more as a person the more I ran and can honestly say I have never felt healthier than i do today. Never thought I'd see the day I would willingly sign up for a half marathon and yet here I am today... taking Advil to recover from my biggest accomplishment. I've been through hell and back in the last year and I couldn't be more proud of myself for sticking through it all and pushing myself to be better each day with each mile chasing after a dream i thought would never come as soon as it did. 
I was so worried about the weather. Afraid to have to run my first half in rain, but when i really think about it, I don't think it would've been the same had it been sunshine and rainbows the whole way through. I think everything about it was perfect. The downpours for all 13 miles is pretty much how i felt this past year and conquering each mile was just a reflection of how far I've come in all this time. 
I was so blessed to have my cheer team with me. 2 of my best friends surprised me with shirts they made to support my craziness. Each shirt said "Team Sunshine_Memoirs" ... i almost cried! Best shirts ever!! Those closest to me who have first hand witnessed my struggle were there showing their love and support yet again like they always do. Waking up at the crack of dawn to stand in the rain waiting for me to finally come through that finish line. Never doubting me, but always believing in me. I don't know what I would do without them. It feels pretty amazing to have that kind of support and I know how blessed I am to have them in my life. God is good and He gets more gold stars for getting me through my first half, but we're not done here... no sir. We're only just getting started. Where are all those fun music ones? Country music and Rock and Roll HERE I COME!! :)

"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the founder and protector of our faith" - Hebrews 12:1

11 More Days!!

OK i'm so sorry I have been so MIA. I got so consumed with work, that by the time i was done training I just wanted my bed. Don't you worry though, I have been keeping up with my training for this half marathon and with only 11 days left I'm even more excited to get er done! So much progress over the weeks with tonight being one of the best. I do my longer runs on the weekends and during the week it's less mileage. Tonight's mini run was one of the most successful of all the runs so far. I did it without stopping once! Do you get what i'm saying? ZERO stoppage! That's a HUGE feat for me. It was taking me a while to get back to where i was. I was having trouble with pacing myself again, but I feel so much better now. They say home is where you heart is and i gotta say nothing has ever felt more like home than tonight's run :)
So this past weekend we paid a visit to NY for my Uncle's surprise 77th bday party. Well, my brother is a runner as well and has come down a few times to train with me. This time I met him out in the city(he lives in Brooklyn) and we ran miles after miles through Central Park. I brought my BFF with me on this trip and while she may not be a runner(she prefers to be labeled as a body builder/gym rat) she did an amazing job keeping up with us. Nothing quite as amazing as BEAUTIFUL weather and scenery, running for miles upon miles with my brother and BFF. Did you notice our Power Ranger shirts? I forgot my brothers shirt back at my aunts house, but he was supposed to be the Black Ranger. Maybe next time he comes down we can go for another run together in our shirts. I tried to get my tracker to work that day, but it was an epic fail. I would say we did about an hour and a half of running. We even threw in push ups  box jumps, squat jumps and headstands. Yea we're a little obsessed lol All in all... amazing workout and even better half marathon training. 
The weekend before was my longest distance at one time. I reached 7.35 miles and let me tell you, I was feeling GREAT! gotta love that runners high. There is nothing like it. So peaceful too! I'm not saying this half marathon is going to be a breeze, but i'm just ready to enjoy every mile of it. I've been trying to find a shirt to wear that day and I found one that says "Trample the weak. Hurdle the dead." I feel like that might be a winner! yea?

Ass to Grass!!

IG: @sunshine_memoirs

Got a nice little treat today... they let us peasants out early from work for the holiday weekend. Le BFF came to get me to go with her to the gym. Since I took her hiking, she's been on me about hitting the gym with her. Well hey i'm not anti-gym so of course I was game to go. It had been a while since my little trip away. Before, when i went it was usually mornings or after work. This was early afternoon and there were BROS everywhere!! It's like someone told them we were coming... fine by me! haha I love hanging with the guys ;)
Anyway, it was pretty neat to pick up some weights and train with my bodybuilding BFF. A little different than the usual runs, hikes or even hitting the bag. Every workout is different, but always rewarding. Had some good times and learned how to take some swolfies! hahaha Bodybuilding to her is like running to me. We share the same passion for such different things, but we understand why each of us does what we do. Why we make the time to get it done. Why we push our bodies as much as we can to achieve what we once thought we never could. It's hard to put in words how important this is to us or why we're so passionate about it. Most people don't get it. It's more than just being healthy or trying to look good naked. It's much deeper than that. It's what drives us and motivates us to be the best that we can be. Not just physically, but mentally as well. 
Someone asked me today what my story was. Why i was so crazy about working out and training. That they could see it was more than something fun to do. They said it was obvious that it was much deeper than that and you know what... they couldn't be more right! I may not be able to control what happens around me or how people feel about me, but I can control how I feel and how I choose to react to life. I choose to be better and stronger than the person I was yesterday. Even if it means stumbling along the way a few times. Eventually I'll find my way... i always do. So as I always like to say... Keep Moving!

Welcome to MY gym :)

Raven Rocks - AT

Stretch-In on the AT

I decided to take some PTO yesterday and head out to enjoy the beautiful day. Leave it to the BFF to take the day off with me and head out to the mountains. I love that I live so close to some of the stretches of the AT. In less than an hour I'm out and wonderfully lost on trails full of beauty! :)

What was special about this hike was that it was with this particular BFF. She is what you would call a gym rat. Straight body building. Works hard all day every day to achieve everything she can and more. She's not afraid to lift heavy and train with the guys. She has earned her right into the bro life. The reason I say this is because we both share a deep passion for what we do. I love running and she lifts, but at the end of the day we just love our active lifestyle. We've done a few obstacle races together and have killed it! We make a great team together. She trains at the gym for the most part. And well, those who know me know i only go to the gym if I have to. Please don't confuse that to mean, i don't strength train or that I hate the gym. I don't. I started there too once upon a time, but i just love being outside. I don't care if it's running, walking, biking, kayaking, paddling, basketball, soccer, hiking... the list goes on! If it's outside, I'm all for it! I love it and I have found several ways to get my strength training in without a gym. I still go when I can and during the colder months, i'm def spending more time there than outside. I mean you can understand why, right? lol i'm not an idiot either! The gym is a great place to train and focus more on specific areas. WELL yesterday I took my BFF out to MY gym. We made it to one of the overlooks and started working out. I only put a couple action shots in my pic here, but we did everything from push ups, dips to bicycle kicks, bridges, yoga, planks, etc. It's just fun for us and pretty neat to take gym life to the outdoors for a bit. On our way back we missed our turn off to head back and ended up roaming random parts of the AT for about 2 hours! *sigh* good times! haha All in all though it was really a great time. Great workout with the BFF and the weather could not have been anymore perfect. A little 10 mile hike on a Monday afternoon? Yea you know ...Just another day in the life  :)

It's an Obsession

Beachin!

It was a very interesting weekend! a couple of my girlfriends and I decided to up and go to the beach for a bit. We got there pretty late in the afternoon on Saturday, but still enough time to soak up the remains of the sun. By Sunday we were pumped and ready to hit the ground running. I have this little obsession with my Free Runs in that I take them with me everywhere I go. I just can't leave home without them. Yes, I even have them at work. I guess I just feel like maybe there will be a chance to squeeze in a run or maybe the location i'm at is just so beautiful that I become inspired to run for a bit. I run because I like it. I'm not the fastest and i'm not filled with superior endurance. I am in no way the best runner out there, but I am one of those that enjoys every minute of it. Whether i'm out enjoying the weather, trying out a new playlist or clearing my mind of a million and one thoughts it's still always the most refreshing part of my day. Somehow exhausting myself is a favorite pastime of mine  :)

Anyway, the point of my story is that everyone has their own passion and it's OK if it's not running. My BFFs are gym junkies so I was very excited to find out, they did not leave without packing their workout gear as well. They don't like running. In fact, they hate it, BUT they do it anyway because they know how beneficial it is. These girls are what you would call gym rats. You can find them lifting with the guys or going hard on the squat rack. We make a good team if you ask me. Together we have the best of both worlds and it's always fun when we can come together and enjoy a good workout. It just so happened that we put in work at the beach this time around. It was a great time and much needed vacation. I can't wait to have them along with me on some of the upcoming runs and I guess I'll be signing up for some of their events as well. Lucky for me... i already enjoy working out with the guys, so it will be an easy transition with them in the weight room.

Now... who wants to spot me?! LOL

Hero Rush - Obstacle Race

It's been a few days since I've posted. I know you have all been losing sleep wondering if i ran at all this past week! hahaha ok well it's been busy, but I did get my first obstacle race out of the way this past weekend. The Hero Rush out in Maryland. Just under 5 miles of over 17 obstacles and some running. It was the first of many obstacle races to come. I was blessed to get to do it with my body building BFF and a few others. She got me through the obstacles and I got her through all the running. I gotta say it was the MOST FUN I've had in a very long time! Sure we got tired at some point, but there were a few backups at a couple obstacles that allowed us catch our breath. 
It all began running up a few stairs and sliding down a fire pole. Not gonna lie, those stairs were pretty narrow and freaked me out a bit. As soon as we touched the ground we were off and the race began. First obstacle was hopping/climbing over a wooden wall, through a little jungle of doors where you had to find an open one to run through and finally climb through a window. Next was what they called Crowd Control, running through some tires on the ground and then a few hanging hoping not to bump any or they bumped you out or down to the ground. Those things are not lightweight! Most of the running was on a trail so it wasn't smooth pavement. Plenty of potholes and mud with hardly any flat surfaces. Definitely a lot of inclines(my favorite! haha). <I wont go through every obstacle as I can't even really remember them all myself, but i'll go through a few listed on their website. It's a lovely thing this thing they call the internet!>  I remember the entanglement obstacle. That's prob where i got most of the bruises on my knee. Picture large tubes meant to be crawled through and then picture random bungee cords spread out across it all the way through. Just one big mess that i had to somehow get myself through only to find another one just like it at the end. I definitely got stuck a few times! Hoarder's Hell was interesting... basically you climb a ladder into a "house" consumed in smoke. I remember getting towards the top and all i could hear is one girls calling out for help. I'm thinking she may have had a fear of heights. Got into the house, found her and helped her out the other side. Once on the other side, you had to climb down except there was no ladder. It was some kind of rope netting. not too bad, but def nice to finally get out of all that smoke! The Stretcher Evac is where my BFF and I were able to come together and put our skills to good use. Picture 2 heavy sandbags tied on a stretcher. You and a buddy had to carry this "person" over a wooden wall, crawl under some barbed wire dragging the person with you and back over another wooden wall finishing with going over more barbed wire. This person was not light! Nope, but we did it. There were a few other dead weight obstacles like carrying 2 tires over your back over and under a few walls/fences. There were times we had to run with fire hoses and drag a hose with a tire tied to the end. The Basement Entrapment was probably the most frightening for me out of all of them. There was no harness to ease my worries of falling face down to the ground after having climbed a tall ladder to the top. Imagine 3 wide ropes. 2 up top for your arms/hands and on in between that you WALK DOWN on. Those who know me, know that I have terrible coordination. I saw my life flash before my eyes with each step. A little dramatic you say? Truth is what I say! The water obstacles were more fun than obstacles really. A nice refresher to have throughout the run and the best part... jumping over fire just before the finish line! Seriously, I don't think I've ever jumped so high in my life, but i loved it. I practically sprinted to grab my medal. Much deserved and of course you know I was looking for my free banana before meeting the rest of our group  :)
I'm not gonna say i survived. I'm gonna say i thrived! i look like someone threw me in a bag and then kicked the crap out of me. So bruised up, but each one earned with pride! Here's a little collage i put together from the before and after shots. Website is supposed to post pics of the obstacles later this week. I'm dying to see if I made it into any action shots! Well the good news is, with that out of the way I am more than ready to take on the Warrior Dash in a couple weeks! BRING IT ON!!